A Great Disturbance
by Lalina
Summary: The fight with the newborns is over and Bella must choose: Edward or Jacob. Things become even more complicated when the newborn girl Carlisle decided to spare, becomes obsessed with Edward. Can he fight Bree's powers or will she ruin his life forever?
1. A Great Disturbance

**Dear Translators: Thank you for your interest but I am not interested in having my stories translated. No offense meant. I had issues in the past with translations when I allowed them, and I would just prefer not to deal with the hassle of trying to keep track of my stories. **

**I don't own Twilight and although Bree is still SM's character, this story is mine. (PLEASE NOTE: This story was written a year and a half prior to SM's release of Bree Tanner's life. It will NOT be canon based on the fact it was written before we knew anything about Bree.)  
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**A/N: I read in a book once that in Scotland the Gaelic definition for bree is: a great disturbance. That is what sparked the idea for this story.**

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They watched as the Volturi disappeared into the forest and breathed a collective sigh of relief. It was over, truly over.

Bella winced; it was not quite over for her, however, or the two men she loved. Her heart throbbed painfully as she remembered the scorching kiss Jacob had left her with before the fight. Now he was hurt, crushed fatally by a crazed newborn, and she was in a panic to see him. Edward said that he was healing rapidly and would be all right but she needed to make sure of it herself.

_Edward_. She winced again.

She felt torn in two. Life was much easier when she thought of Jacob as just a friend and hadn't made the connection that she loved him. No, she didn't just love him; she was _in_ love with him. Bella put her face in her hands, still unable to face the fact that she had a decision to make. She thought it would be easy to choose Edward but was torn apart by even the suggestion of saying goodbye to Jacob. The vision she'd had of their life together and their beautiful black-haired children had stayed with her. Was that the life she wanted?

Bella looked toward the crazed newborn that had been spared. Bree. She watched as the girl struggled for control, her wild scarlet eyes returning to Bella every few seconds. Edward tried to shield her from the girl's gaze, but that didn't seem to help much.

Is that what was in store for her, too? Becoming a blood-crazed monster that had no control? For the first time she started to question the path she had chosen. Now that she knew there might be another option, could she really go through with this?

Edward turned to face her. He assessed her expression quickly, worry crossing his features.

"Bella, love, are you okay? How do you feel?"

Bella sighed and put her head against his chest to hide her expression. She didn't want him to be able to see her indecision or how disturbed the girl was making her.

"I'm fine," she whispered. "I'm just really worried about Jacob; I want to make sure he's okay!"

Edward's arms wrapped around her and held her close. He felt like his dead heart would break. He had told her that he wasn't upset over the kiss she had shared with Jacob but that wasn't completely the truth. He _was_ upset. He was hurt, and his jealousy felt like it would suffocate him. Edward knew that Jacob had fooled her into the kiss, but he had opened the door to unleash some unknown emotion she had been repressing. Wasn't it bad enough that Edward had had to spend the night watching that _dog_ keep Bella warm during the snowstorm when he couldn't, now this? For the millionth time, he cursed himself for leaving her.

And there lay the crux. Had he not tried to force her to live her life as a human girl out of the path of vampire influence, then this wouldn't be happening. Now he stood to lose her-again-but this time by her own hand. The irony of the situation was staggering.

"Bella, you know that you can't see Jacob right now. Charlie is with Billy and would know you lied to him about the sleepover with Alice. I _promise _you will see him at the first possible opportunity. Carlisle and I will go to Jacob, and I will let you know as soon as it's safe to visit." He lifted her face to his and looked into her eyes searchingly. The pain reflected back at him was crippling. He lowered his lips to hers and despaired at how remote she seemed.

The crazed newborn girl let forth a blood-curdling scream behind them; Bella winced and pulled away quickly. She tried to look around him at the young vampire struggling to get past Jasper. Edward made a disgusted noise in his throat. Really, what was Carlisle thinking adopting the little fiend? They would already have their hands full when Bella was turned, did they really need a bigger distraction? The girl screamed again and he hunched his shoulders against the onslaught.

"I think you should leave now. You'll go back to our home with Alice and wait for my call," Edward said, turning to Bella. She nodded absentmindedly not making eye contact.

"Bella?" She glanced up at him finally. "Everything will be okay… I love you." Bella nodded again. A pain flared in his chest as he realized she didn't say it in return. That was the first time that had ever happened.

Edward made a gesture to Alice who came running up beside him. She kept looking back at Jasper and the newborn with a troubled look on her face. Alice was having disturbing flickers whenever she concentrated on her visions in regards to the girl. Everything was snarled up and there seemed be large gaps and voids in what she saw.

"Alice, maybe you should take Bella home now. Carlisle and I are going to check on Jacob. The others will take care of the girl." Alice had such a strange expression on her face that he stopped and took a peek into her head. What he saw there confused him as well, and now they wore identical puzzled expressions.

Bella snapped out of her reverie and looked at them both. "What?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Both of them faced her slowly.

"Nothing," Edward said. "Don't worry, Alice is just having a hard time getting a read on the girl. I suppose Riley taught them all to shield themselves from her."

Bella shuddered. Riley. He had been the poor boy that had been fooled by Victoria into spear heading the newborn attack. Victoria had amassed an army of newborn vampires for the sole purpose of distracting the werewolves and Cullens enough to get her hands on Bella. Thankfully, they had pieced everything together prior to the attack. A plan was formulated to lure the vampires into the forest and keep them away from the people of Forks.

It had been successful, and-except for the accident with Jacob-there were no casualties on their side. Her heart throbbed painfully again when she thought of Jacob. She turned to Alice.

"Okay, let's go. I just want to get away from here." Alice looked at Bella thoughtfully for a moment before stooping slightly for her to climb on her back. Edward helped Bella onto Alice's back. He then wiped her hair back from her face and gave her a tender kiss. Bella smiled at him faintly, her mind still seemed elsewhere.

Alice began to run and Edward let his breath out in a sigh. He turned towards Carlisle and walked over to him.

_How is Bella holding up, Edward?_

"Not good. I'm worried, Carlisle. She seems so much more distant than usual. Truthfully, I have never seen her like this." He turned worried eyes to his father.

_I'm sure she's just worried about Jacob. Once she is able to see for herself that he will survive the attack, everything will go back to normal._

"I hope so." Carlisle reached out his hand and gave Edward's shoulder a firm squeeze.

"Speaking of Jacob," Carlisle said aloud, "we should go and see how he's doing. I hope the others were able to get him to phase back." In all the centuries Carlisle had been practicing medicine, it had always been on humans. He was already nervous because Jacob was a shape-shifter. Essentially he was human; however, there were still marked differences between him and a normal person that may make his care more difficult.

"Let me talk to Jasper to make arrangements about Bree and then we'll be on our way." He left Edward while mulling over how best to help Jacob. He then walked towards the pyre that was still burning in the center of the field. As he approached Jasper, his thoughts shifted to the girl. What were they going to do with her?

Carlisle had always been sensitive to all forms of life. He couldn't allow an innocent sentient being to be destroyed; it would weigh too heavily on his conscience. Yes, the girl had come as part of the attacking army, but it wasn't really her fault that she had been created and unleashed on his family; that fell straight onto the shoulders of Victoria. Once the girl had realized her certain fate, she stopped fighting immediately. She had held her hands up over her head and began to keen. Carlisle had taken pity on her and stopped his family from destroying her. He knew that Jasper was vehemently against the idea, but as the patriarch of the family, Carlisle had overruled him.

He sighed as he came up behind Jasper who was slightly crouched before the girl on the floor. She had relaxed slightly once Bella had left but her eyes still wheeled around wildly as she whimpered softly. Emmett and Rosalie stood nearby in case she decided to run. Emmett was his usual affable self; he'd enjoyed the fight thoroughly and was reveling in every detail. Rosalie looked bored and stared at her nails. She looked up as Carlisle approached.

"Ugh, I'm so glad Bella left; she _finally_ shut up." She jerked a thumb at Bree.

"Rosalie," Carlisle admonished, "I'm sure you still remember how disorienting it felt to be a newborn. We must be more sensitive to how Bree is feeling." The girl glanced up and looked at him gratefully. Rosalie sneered.

"We owe her _nothing_!" she spat. "Her and her 'friends' came here to slaughter our family, Carlisle! You may want to forgive and forget, but I don't think I can." She looked at the girl scornfully.

"Rose…" Emmett began softly.

"Don't 'Rose' me, Emmett! What the heck are supposed to do with her?" Carlisle watched Jasper look up and nod in agreement.

Rose continued, "Edward's little human is constantly at the house, and I'll be damned if I'll play bodyguard for _Bella_." Edward hissed at her from across the field, and Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle, but I agree with Rosalie," Jasper said quietly. "This girl is a liability to our family. It is much too dangerous to keep her here in Forks."

Bree sat on the floor at their feet silently, her eyes flickering from one face to another as they discussed her fate. She finally focused on Carlisle and the look of pure terror she gave him firmed his resolve.

"I will not have her destroyed, Jasper, and that is final. If we must, we will send her to Tanya's family in Denali."

Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but Carlisle held up a hand and said, "I realize we aren't on the best terms with Tanya's family right now, but as I see it, they owe us a favour. We will contact them and ask if they can come visit to discuss what happened. Bree can return with them when they leave. For now she will come to stay with us in the guest house, and Bella will just have to stay away until we can make arrangements."

Edward ran over to Carlisle.

"_What_?" he asked disgustedly. "Why do Bella and I have to be punished for this?"

"It's not punishment, Edward, and unless you want to put Bella in danger, you will keep her away from the house. Understood?"

Edward gave him a cold look, his eyes tightening and his lips narrowing into a thin line.

"Fine. I'll just stay at Bella's house more often. I'm sure Charlie will _love_ that."

"What choice do we have, Edward? I can't bear to destroy the girl and we can't just set her free to roam around on her own! Not to mention, I made a promise to the Volturi that we would take care of her. Do you really want to give them a reason to return?" Carlisle stared down at the girl in concern. He saw Edward shake his head at him slowly.

During the discussion, Esme joined them and put her arm around Carlisle's waist. He knew that she supported him one-hundred percent and immediately felt better. He looked at her lovingly and kissed her cheek. Edward glanced balefully at the newborn, turned on his heel, and walked away. Carlisle kneeled before the girl.

"Bree," he said softly. She looked up at him.

"Would you like to stay with our family for a little while?" She nodded mutely.

"Alright, but first we must discuss a few things. First, you are not allowed to hunt humans as long as you are with our family. You will put us in great danger if you do. Do you understand?"

Bree grimaced, but once again nodded.

"Second, you must try your very hardest not to attack Bella if she comes to the house. She is very special to Edward, and we consider her to be part of our family. I know this will be very difficult for you at first, but we will help you the best we can." Finally, the girl spoke.

"I don't understand; if you don't hunt humans, how do you survive?" She looked perplexed.

"We hunt animals, Bree. It allows us the freedom to live amongst humans for extended periods of time, to have a home. You may find this challenging at first, but, with practice, it does get easier," Carlisle answered. "Once you have passed your newborn stage and have enough control, then you can decide if you want to live the rest of your existence as we do, or you can choose to go your own way." The girl whimpered at the thought of being on her own.

"No, please! I'm afraid…" she said despairingly. "I don't want to be left alone." Carlisle sat beside Bree and put an arm around her shoulder.

"You're not alone, child," he replied softly. "As long as you try your hardest, you will belong with our family." She smiled at her savior tentatively.

"Thank you, Carlisle." She looked at the rest of the beautiful vampires around her. "Thank you all. I'll try very hard not to be a burden."

Carlisle stood up, helping Bree to her feet. "I have to go with Edward to tend to Jacob, but the others will bring you home." At the wolf's name, she growled deep in her chest, and Jasper moved to restrain her. Carlisle gave her a sharp look.

"Bree, we have an alliance with the wolves. You may _not_ hurt any of them. Do you understand?" he said forcefully.

She continued to growl menacingly. "They killed my friends!" she hissed.

"And so did we," Carlisle said quietly.

"But they are not our kind!" she yelled angrily.

Carlisle gave Jasper a meaningful look, and the girl calmed visibly.

"You must learn to control yourself, child, for all our sakes! You may not attack the wolves; we have a treaty with them to live in peace. If the treaty is broken, it means war. Do you hear me? _War!_" He looked at her carefully to make sure she understood the complexity of the situation.

Bree's lip uncurled slowly as she regained control of her emotions. It was difficult, but somehow, she felt too weak to hold on to the anger. She wasn't quite sure why, but she started calming down.

"I must leave now. The others will explain everything in more detail when you get home. Bella is there right now, so you will stay in the guest house until she leaves." He gave her a careful look and nodded to the rest of his family to take her away. They sprinted through the forest and disappeared. Bree was placed in the middle to make sure she didn't escape.

Carlisle sighed and looked towards Edward.

"I know you are upset with me, son."

"I just don't think this is the best idea, Carlisle. It's bad enough Jasper took a snap at Bella last year, how will we handle a _newborn_?" he said with distaste.

"Well, hopefully this is just for a short while until Bella herself is turned," Carlisle said carefully. Edward growled slightly. "You know it's going to happen, Edward; there is no use fighting it."

"I know, I know… It doesn't mean I have to like it!" Carlisle raised a hand before he could continue. He wanted to get to Jacob sooner rather than later, and this was an argument they'd had repeatedly.

"Fair enough, but that doesn't change anything. We will send Bree to Denali until Bella is turned and perhaps they can help each other while adjusting to the newborn phase." Carlisle shrugged. Edward looked at the floor overcome with guilt.

"Okay, enough brooding. I have a werewolf to tend to." With that, he turned and raced into the forest. Edward sighed quietly and then chased after him.

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**If you're curious to know where I read about a bree, it's in the 4****th**** book of the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. They are amazing novels if you want something new and exciting to read! **

**I hope you liked the first chapter of this story! Fav alerts and reviews are the best way to show how much you love it! *wink wink***


	2. Jacob

**A/N: The characters of this story belong to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement**

**Italics indicate flashback sequence**

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_Jacob watched in horror as Leah advanced on the newborn vampire. Alone. What was she thinking? It was a rhetorical question; he knew exactly what she was thinking, being mind-linked to her as well as his brothers._

This is it_, she thought. _I'll show them all_. She suddenly moved in to strike. She had become cocky from the fight and didn't approach the bloodsucker with the amount of caution necessary. It heard her coming and wheeled to attack letting out a screech. She coiled her hind legs and sprang at him. The vampire had enough time to see her launch and back-handed her, sending Leah flying into a tree._

No_! Jacob yelled in his head, his thought echoed by eight other wolves, and Seth's fear for his sister the strongest. He pushed himself faster to reach the stinking vampire before it could kill Leah._

_Leah crouched at the base of the tree snarling and snapping, her bones were knitting back together quickly but not quick enough. She waited for the inevitable strike and prayed it would be quick. She closed her eyes._

_Jacob hurtled through the trees, roaring with fury, and lunged at the granite body. He felt the breath whoosh out of him upon impact and realize-too late-he had thrown himself right into the leech's waiting arms. He felt the nauseating crunch as its arms came around him and squeezed with all its might. Jacob's right side was pushed flush against the vampire. He tried to whip his head around to bite at its head, but the bloodsucker pulled back, eluding him. It was like being in a vise made of stone. He vaguely recognized the sound of more bones snapping as he thrashed violently._

_His vision receded to a point, and as he lost consciousness, he looked into the scarlet eyes of the vampire about to kill him._

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Jacob came slowly back to consciousness. He was aware of two things simultaneously: his pain and the howls of his brothers, both in his head and echoing in the air around him. The pain soon surmounted everything else, and he writhed in agony. He stopped short because that made the pain flare sickeningly. He felt Sam, Quil, and Embry as they phased back to their human forms and kneeled beside him. Sam spoke soothing words and brushed his hands against Jacob's pelt. He saw Paul run to the Cullens to get the doctor and felt him phase as well, losing the mind-link.

Carlisle and Paul ran back towards Jacob who lay on his uninjured side, panting and whimpering. Carlisle took Sam's place beside his head and did a slow inventory of the damage. He didn't find any vampire bites, which was a relief. Jacob would surely have died had he been bitten; vampire venom was poisonous to the wolves.

Carlisle stood up and spoke with Sam quietly.

"His injuries are extensive but not life-threatening, as far as I can tell. It's difficult to make sure while he is in his wolf form; I need him to phase back to his human form in order to be certain. Do you think you can get him to do that?"

Sam looked at Jacob lying on the ground with uncertainty. He remembered the first time he phased, how it took him two weeks to gain enough control over himself to go back to his human form. He ran his hands over his face in agitation and shook his head slowly.

"I'm not sure, Carlisle! It takes a lot of concentration in order to phase back to human form, and if he's in too much pain, it could be impossible."

Jacob lay as still as possible taking shallow breaths-it hurt less that way. He didn't pay much attention to anything else. To distract himself from the pain, he brought Bella's face to mind. Her smooth ivory skin, her wide chocolate-colored eyes, her beautiful mouth-the top lip slightly more voluptuous, giving her a slight pout. He remembered the night they had spent huddled together during the storm, marred only by the presence of her bloodsucker boyfriend. His lips curled back from his teeth. He shook his head slightly and imagined Edward hadn't been in the tent with them instead.

Bella had been so cold, freezing even. Jacob knew she hadn't been crazy about the idea of him sharing the sleeping bag with her to warm her, but he relished in the fact that that soon changed when she felt his overwhelming heat against her. He remembered her slight body pushing against him eagerly, wishing with all his might that she wasn't swathed in that bulky coat, his imagination starting to get the better of him.

Jacob had closed his eyes and pretended that it wasn't just his warmth she wanted, that she had finally realized how much she loved and wanted him. He imagined her naked and pressed up hard against his body as he kissed her and she kissed him back just as fiercely.

In his fantasy, his hands ran down the length of her body and back up, cupping her soft breasts. She moaned his name gently and grabbed his hair to keep him close. He kissed her neck hungrily, loving the way she tasted and how she moved against him.

Just as it was about to get good, the stupid bloodsucker had hissed furiously at him, "_Please_! Do you _mind_?" Jacob had flushed hotly and told him to get out of his head. Then had followed the strangest conversation. At least the leech had admitted finally how jealous he was that Jacob could have an intimate relationship with Bella while he couldn't. Now if only Bella wanted that too...

And then he remembered the kiss. Not his imagination this time, not a fantasy, but a _real_ kiss! At first, it had started like when he had forced himself on her at the beach in an act of desperation. Incensed by her passiveness, he had pulled away from her and asked if she didn't care that he was going to sacrifice himself to the newborns? He felt bad for deceiving her that way but it had worked. All of the sudden, her fists clenched into his hair, and she started to respond to him. He had gasped wildly and kissed her again, grasping at her waist as she pulled him closer. She clung to his shoulders and kissed him passionately with everything she had. He could feel she had no reservations, and she pressed against him with all her might. It was wonderful. Incredible. _Fated_.

He should have never left her; he had run off to fight the battle with the newborns, thinking, mistakenly, that she would feel more indebted to him. After all, her bloodsucker was just sitting on a mountain acting as a glorified babysitter instead of trying to protect her from the crazed monsters in the forest like he would be doing.

The plan had backfired. That bitch Victoria had crossed Edward's scent and followed it somehow knowing it would also lead to Bella. So instead of basking in the glory of destroying the vile creature, he was here on the ground, mortally wounded. He bet Edward was proud of himself, proving to be Bella's protector once more. Jacob flinched back from that image, a ripple of pain shooting over his body as he moved.

While he was reliving everything, he became dimly aware that four of his brothers were picking him up as gently as they could. Jacob howled loudly, engulfed by both the pain from his injuries and the pain in his heart . He tried to keep quiet, but it was impossible. His brothers moved as quickly as they could with their heavy burden and urged him both vocally and mentally to phase back. He needed to get back into his human form so Carlisle could help him.

Jacob tried feebly to gather himself and phase, but he couldn't concentrate hard enough to pull the heat back into the core of his body. He knew they were getting closer to his home and he had to try harder or else they couldn't go any farther. He felt his body start to vibrate slightly and gritted his teeth, his fangs gnashing together with effort. He tried to rise above the pain, and the vibrations increased in intensity. One last howl and he started to transform, the howl turning into a string of profanities. His brothers sighed in relief and continued into Billy's house.

He could hear someone telling Charlie he had gotten into a motorcycle accident as they passed by the speechless man. Billy sat in his wheelchair wringing his hands. Jacob knew he was anxious to know what had _really_ happened and to make sure Jake was okay. They lay him on his bed and waited for Carlisle to arrive.

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**Poor Jakey! Show the poor guy a little love would ya? Even if you don't like him! ;))**


	3. Bree

**I don't own Twilight but Bree's story is mine!**

**Italics represent flashback sequence.**

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Bree walked around the stone cottage again. The long-haired blonde vampire with all the battle scars was guarding her because the human was in the main house with the rest of the family. She was afraid of him and wondered again what had happened to him to make him look so ferocious.

She glanced at him from under her eyelashes, but he didn't seem like he was planning to hurt her. Nevertheless, she kept her guard up, just in case. Bree had watched him maim and kill the others that she had been fighting with. It was as if he were indestructible. He had been trying to protect the little one even though no one had been able to lay a hand on her.

Maybe Riley would come for her? She hoped fervently that he would. Even though the strange Yellow Eyes seemed peaceful now and said they were willing to adopt her she was unsure whether she wanted to live this life. Not drinking from humans? How did one survive?

Thinking of Riley made her ache deeply. Where had he gone? Why did he abandon her? Was he even still alive? She remembered vaguely the Dark Cloaks speaking with the Yellow Eyes about it but she was caught in the throes of bloodlust and couldn't remember clearly. She didn't know if the frightening vampire would answer her if she asked.

What was his name again? She thought hard for a moment and had a flicker of memory. Her savior had called him Jasper.

She cleared her throat slightly, and Jasper glanced at her sternly. She reconsidered wanting to ask, but she felt she would die unless she knew the truth.

"Do you need something?" Jasper asked quietly. He could feel the girl's inner turmoil and confusion and tried to sound as gentle as possible. If she didn't calm herself, he would send her a wave to help her. She looked very young and scared.

"I… I thought I heard… something about one of my friends," she started hesitantly. "His name was Riley?"

"He's dead," Jasper said without emotion.

"What? How? He wasn't even at the fight! He was supposed to be there, but he didn't come! How can he be dead?" She felt her eyes prickle. It was an odd sensation. In her human life she knew that tears would have started to pool in her eyes, but these new vampire eyes of hers stayed dry.

Jasper looked at her absorbing her emotions. Shock. Denial. Despair. He grimaced slightly at the onslaught and pushed it away from himself, replacing it with a calming influence instead. He was confused as to why this girl mourned for Riley; he had been Victoria's mate.

"He was with Victoria. She went looking for Bella to kill her, and they were both destroyed." Bree's chest hitched as the reality sank in. Riley was gone; dead like the rest.

"Victoria? Who is Victoria?" she asked, a furrow appearing between her matched her expression.

"Your creator." He had underestimated Victoria, they all had. It was obvious she had kept her distance from all the newborns she had created, using Riley as her lackey to deal with the waves of anguish coming off the girl, he had an idea exactly how Riley had convinced her to do his bidding.

A sob escaped Bree's lips, and she curled in on herself. _Dead, dead, dead! _kept repeating over and over in her mind. She looked up at Jasper pleadingly.

"Please, can I be alone?"

"I'm sorry, Bree, but for now that is impossible. Would you like me to help you? I can take away your pain." Her brow furrowed again, momentarily distracted by his statement.

"I don't understand," she said quietly, a look of fear coming over her face. Riley had warned her about the seer and the mind-reader but hadn't mentioned Jasper's gift. Perhaps he had underestimated this particular vampire.

"Some in our family are gifted. Edward can read minds, Alice sees visions, and I can influence others' emotions. I can help to calm you and remove some of the grief you are feeling."

Bree looked at Jasper suspiciously. That would explain why whenever she felt like attacking the human, she began to feel lethargic and calm.

"It was _you_…" she hissed at him, automatically feeling the calming presence. "Stop fucking with my head!" She grasped the sides of her head shaking it back and forth. Bree turned her back on Jasper and curled into a tight ball, letting the grief wash over her.

_~0~_

_Bree ran down the street and hoped her stepfather hadn't decided to follow her. Tears streaked down her face while she turned blindly down alleys. She hated him, and she hated her mother for marrying him. She had run away before, only to be dragged back by the police. She had tried to tell him about life at home, but he hadn't believed her. Instead, he had gone there with Bree in tow and asked her stepfather about her 'allegations'. Of course, he had denied everything-the smug son of a bitch-and the cop had just left her there. He had just left and hadn't given a shit what would happen to her that night or any other nights after._

_This was the first time she'd been able to escape since then, and this time she wouldn't get caught. No one was dragging her back to that hellhole no matter what happened. She stopped behind a dumpster and collapsed crying, her breathing jagged. Bree lowered her head into her hands and sobbed some more._

_After a few minutes, she heard some rustling nearby. She peaked around the dumpster but didn't see anything. Suddenly, she was grasped by the nape of her neck and thrown onto her back. Something got on top of her, and she beat at it, pounding her hands against the massive, unyielding wall. She heard her clothing tear as the thing bit her flesh repeatedly._

_Bree cried out in pain and thrashed violently. When she realized she was going to die, she stopped struggling. At least this time, she wouldn't be dragged back home again. She embraced death as it picked her up in its stone arms and ran with her._

_Unfortunately, dying proved to be much more painful than she anticipated. Bree's whole body was on fire. She was in complete agony. She cried out for someone to save her, but no one was there. Finally, the heat started to pull back from her limbs and sucked into her chest surrounding her frantic heart. It galloped wildly as the heat intensified. She screamed over and over again until it finally ended._

_She lay quietly for a moment, wondering how she was still alive when her heart no longer beat in her chest. She felt-rather than saw-someone come quietly into the room with her. Bree's eyes opened slowly, and she looked into the face of a man-child._

_He was blonde and beautiful. His face still had a hint of boyish roundness. His features were perfectly symmetrical, but most striking were his eyes, a shocking shade of red. Before she could stop herself, she jumped onto the table in a crouch, and a growl erupted from her chest._

_He held his hands up to show he didn't want to hurt her and then slowly explained what had happened to her. At first, Bree cried tearlessly, and he consoled her. He taught her how to hunt, to assuage her thirst. After a few days, she was pleased that she had been chosen to be a vampire._

_A week after Bree had been turned, she went back to what used to be her home and slaughtered her parents. She took her mother quickly in her sleep. She was just a weak woman after all and didn't know how else to look after herself or her young daughter. She saved all her pent-up hatred for her stepfather._

_She grabbed him out of his bed by the shirtfront and threw him across the room. He woke up screaming and cursing until she flipped the light switch and saw her standing there. He stayed perfectly still, looking at her with confusion stamped on his features._

"_What's wrong, _Daddy_? Don't you remember me?" she said sweetly._

"_B-B-B-Breee?" he stuttered incredulously. "What happened to you?"_

"_I've been saved, Daddy. Aren't I pretty? Don't you just want to touch me?"_

_Fear flooded his face as he shook his head._

_"No," he whispered._

"_No," Bree repeated softly, chuckling to herself. "_No_? Why not, _Daddy_? You never had any problem with it before, you sick, sadistic son of a bitch!" she roared out._

_Bree flew at him then and punched the wall beside his face. He screamed as he watched her hand slam though it as if it were nothing more substantial than cardboard. She took his hands and crushed them to her chest, feeling his fingers snap like twigs. He screamed again, a high breathless sound._

"_Does it feel good?" she asked him. "Do you like that? Oh I know you like it, you always said how much you liked it before."_ _Bree reached between his legs and grasped him firmly. "How about this?" He started gibbering at her as she increased the pressure and begged her for forgiveness._

_She stopped for a moment and looked like she was thinking it over._

"_No," Bree said in a deadly voice and then clamped her hand down tightly. She would have loved to continue but as she felt him burst in her hand, the scent of his blood wafted up and she lost control._

_She took hold of his head and ripped it off, ending the keening noises he was making. His blood gushed from the arteries and she drank greedily,completely draining his body of blood._

_When she was done, she jumped up lightly and walked towards the severed head. Picking it up, she placed a light kiss on its lips and said, "Goodbye, Daddy."_

That is how Bree celebrated the beginning of her immortality.

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**Ok so I have to admit, I let my more macabre side take over in this chapter! Did I mention I love gore and horror? I hope I didn't scare you off! Review! **


	4. Insistence

**A/N: Thanks again to my Yada ladies for letting me sound out… you guys helped spin this story in a whole new exciting direction! I'm stoked!**

**Again Twilight is not owned by me * sad ***

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Bella sat while Alice zoomed around her like a cyclone. She was still waiting for the call to say that Charlie had left so she could go see Jacob and make sure for herself he was alive and well. She had no idea what she was going to say to him, but she would think of that later.

"Alice?" she said softly, knowing her friend would hear her.

"Yes?"

"Do you… if you look forward, do you still see me becoming one of you?" Bella looked at her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

Alice sighed deeply and said, "Bella, don't you know your own mind?"

Truth be told, Alice _had_ looked forward, and the future around Bella flickered unsteadily. One minute she saw her clearly as an immortal at Edward's side, and the next, her future completely disappeared. She had desperately tried to shield these thoughts from Edward because a future where Bella disappeared could only mean one thing: she would choose Jacob.

Alice didn't want to admit this to Bella. She was afraid of this uncertain future, a future without Bella in their lives. For as sure as Edward loved Bella, so did the whole family. She was already a daughter, a sister, a mate. A Cullen.

Bella watched her friend's face carefully. Alice was wearing an inscrutable expression that worried her. No, she didn't know her own mind, which is why she was hoping that Alice could help allay her fears.

Alice walked up to Bella and looked at her. "Bella, I wish I could help you with this, but truthfully, I don't know what you are going through. I've always known Jasper and I would be together. You need to look into your heart and make a decision."

Bella nodded her head morosely and went back to examining her fingers. Her teeth fastened into her lower lip. She went over the afternoon's events and wondered how everything went so wrong...or so _right,_ depending on your point of view.

Jacob had left the tent angrily after Edward dumped him onto the cold floor when he was trying to help Bella get out of the sleeping bag she and Jacob had shared the night before. It almost came to blows but luckily hadn't. After Jacob left, they had started talking and Edward had brought up the engagement. He had known that Jacob was still in hearing distance, and he also knew that Jacob would then find out Bella had agreed to marry Edward.

Jacob had run off and Bella had sent Edward off to bring him back so she could apologize. It hadn't gone as planned. Jacob had told her that he would sacrifice himself to the newborns in order to take himself out of the picture. She had been desperate to stop that from happening, knowing the only way was to ask him to kiss her so he would return to her.

And he did.

The scales fell from her eyes and she had realized that after all this time she indeed _was_ in love with Jacob Black. With that kiss, she had betrayed Edward in the worst possible way.

_Well, he betrayed you first,_ an insidious voice spoke up in her mind. She shook her head to clear it.

Did she really believe that? Yes. A small part of her still did. Edward had left her broken and bleeding, and Jacob had helped her to heal. He had left his mark on her as surely as Edward had.

Bella thought of her mortality. She hadn't considered it a big sacrifice if she received Edward in return, but the repercussions were starting to dawn on her. She would be frozen at eighteen forever; she would have to give up her family and friends forever, and she could never start a family of her own with Edward. It had never seemed like much to her, as at the age of eighteen, having children hadn't been high on her list of priorities, but the new path opened up to her if she chose Jacob gave her another option.

Options. She was starting to hate that word.

Bella could see it. Jacob standing as her guardian and protector. Jacob, Renee, and Charlie, all part of her life. Their children running into the forest to play as she and Jacob followed, laughing and holding hands.

Not only could she see it, but she wanted it. She wanted it really badly.

Alice's phone gave a shrill ring, and she handed it to Bella, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Edward," Alice said.

Bella flipped open the phone, a little breathless.

"Hello? Edward?"

"Bella, love…" he said gently.

Upon hearing his beautiful voice, she immediately felt guilty that she had been thinking of Jacob so much. This was Edward, the love of her life.

_Not the only love anymore, _the insidious voice mocked her. She tuned it out viciously and concentrated on what Edward was saying.

"… doing fine, he's sleeping right now. Carlisle gave him quite a large dose of morphine." Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

"I want to see him," she said interrupting what Edward was going to say next.

"Bella," he said, his voice full of pain. She cringed at the sound. "Maybe you should wait until Jacob wakes up."

"No, I don't care, I want to see him now. I have to make sure he is okay with my own eyes!" Bella insisted. She heard Edward sigh.

"Do you think I'm lying to you? Should I put Carlisle on the phone so he can tell you the same thing?" His voice became more clipped, and Bella knew he was becoming upset, but she pushed that aside.

"No, Edward, I don't think you are lying. I just need to see Jake, okay?"

Bella knew in her heart that Edward was telling the truth, but part of her wondered if perhaps he was making things seem less serious to spare her from the inevitable guilt she would feel. She knew he thought he was protecting her, but sometimes, she just wished that he would give it to her straight and let her deal with the consequences.

Edward sighed once more. "Fine, I'm coming now to pick you up."

"No, don't bother. Alice has to bring me home so Charlie can see us together, and then I'll just take my truck to La Push." This statement was met with silence.

After a few moments, Edward said, "I'll see you later tonight then." Then the phone went dead in her hand.

Bella's heart gave a painful twist. She knew she was hurting Edward, but she had to see Jacob by herself.

~*~*~*~*~

Edward snapped the phone shut. He briefly considered walking back into the Black residence and finishing the job the newborn had started. He ground his teeth together and waited for Carlisle.

No.

He had to let Bella work through this. He knew in his heart that she would choose him. They were meant to be together.

He didn't want to consider the alternative, but for a moment, he did. What if she _did _choose Jacob? What if she was finally sick of all the danger that came with being in close proximity to vampires? What if she realized what she would truly be giving up in order to spend a soulless existence with him?

Bella's soul. That was the major bone of contention every time they argued about her conversion to vampirism. Edward didn't want to damn her to hell. He didn't want her to sacrifice her soul for him. He wanted her to remain _human_.

Unfortunately, it had been proven time and again that her remaining human was impossible as long as they chose to be together. Edward looked back towards the house. If he wanted Bella to remain human, there was only one way: if she chose Jacob Black.

_No!_

His whole being rejected the idea of losing her. He didn't think he could stand it. He had tried, and it almost had killed him. But what if it were a question of saving her soul? Could he do if it meant keeping her human? Could he do it to save her from this life?

He thought that he could if he had to. He silently prayed he wouldn't have to and then cursed himself for his selfish nature. Carlisle walked out of the house just then and walked towards him.

_Ready to go, Son?_

Edward just nodded his head as they left for home.

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**Sorry for the whole recap of events from Eclipse, I did that for 2 reasons. 1) I have some friends reading that haven't read the Twilight Saga (I know, for shame!! *tsk, tsk*) and 2) For this story to work I'm pretending that Eclipse ended with the departure of the Volturi (meaning I didn't want to split this up into an alternate Eclipse ending and continuance to a new 'book')The story takes a deft turn from here on in, promise!  
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**As I've seen elsewhere REVIEWS ARE LOVE!!! pls pls pls review and let me know what you're thinking!! **


	5. From Hot To Cold

**I do not own Twilight, SMeyer does…. This chapter has some lemon flavouring ;))**

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Bella drove towards La Push, anxious with emotion. She was worried about Jacob and what state she would find him in. She was also inundated with guilt. Guilt, because if not for her, Jacob wouldn't have gotten hurt today. Guilt, because she was hurting Edward over and over but couldn't seem to stop.

She didn't mean to come off so brusque with Edward earlier. She wasn't sure what had come over her lately. It was as if the two Bella's were merging. The quiet, acquiescent one--Edward's Bella--and the more adventurous, carefree one--Jacob's Bella--were trying to coexist in one body. She was unsure whether she had room for both.

Bella pulled up in front of Billy's house and walked in without knocking. Billy would have heard the truck, of course, and been expecting her. He sat in his little kitchen and gave her a faint smile when she walked in.

"Hello, Bella," he said quietly.

"Is he still asleep?" Bella stood by the door unsure what to do.

"He is, but I'm sure he'd love it if you were there when he woke up." The look on Billy's face was gentle, and she wondered how much he knew. All of the wolves would have seen what happened on the mountainside and felt Jacob's joy. Did someone tell Billy about it?

Bella nodded her head and went past him to Jacob's room. She gasped when she saw him. He had braces all down the right side of his body and he looked so young and fragile. She sat beside his bed and took his left hand.

Jacob's eyelids fluttered for a moment, and she felt a light squeeze against her fingers. She patted his hand soothingly, hoping he would stay asleep, but his eyelids fluttered again before his eyes opened slowly.

"Bella," he said, his voice rough and hoarse.

"Shh, Jake, it's okay; go back to sleep." Tears prickled in her eyes as he tried to smile at her.

"Sure, sure." But of course, he disregarded what she said.

"Oh God, Jake, I've been so worried, you don't even know how much. I couldn't even think of anything else once I found out you were hurt!" Tears began to overflow from her eyes.

"Nothing else? Not even your bloodsucker?" Jacob smiled faintly. Bella scowled at him, but she didn't have the heart to be upset.

"Shut up, Jacob," she said petulantly.

"Hey… That's not a very nice thing to say to a guy who risked his life for you today." He chuckled lightly. Bella felt the guilt flare up.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down at their clasped hands.

"It's okay, Bells, I'm just teasing you. Hey, don't cry! Come on, please don't cry."

Bella wiped at her face furiously. Here he was lying in bed all broken, and she was the one crying like a fool.

"You're right, okay, I'm fine. _Really_." She exhaled deeply.

Jacob watched her closely. He hadn't seen her since the kiss earlier that day and had almost expected her to come here and tell him off, that she was marrying the bloodsucker, and there was nothing he could do about it. One kiss wouldn't change a thing. But she hadn't said any of that. At least, not yet.

He patted the bed beside him, hoping this wouldn't remind her of that duty. He was surprised when she sat on the edge of the bed tentatively and grasped his hand tighter, placing it in her lap. Disentangling his hand, he reached a long arm out around her shoulders and pulled her down so she was lying on the bed beside him.

"Jake! I'm going to hurt you!" she protested loudly.

"Nah, Dr. Fang has me pumped with so much morphine you could probably jump up and down on me, and I wouldn't feel a thing. But don't try it, just in case." Bella felt his chest rise up and down as he laughed. "Ow."

"_See_?" Bella said severely. "I should get up." Jacob tightened his hold on her.

"Please, Bells. As long as we stay still, I'll be fine. Honest." Bella cuddled up to his side and put her head in the crook of his shoulder, sighing contentedly.

"So…. How are you feeling?" she asked after a few moments and heard him laugh again.

"Just peachy, how about you?" His joking tone was laced with just a touch of sarcasm. She fought off the urge to smack him, reminding herself that he was injured. After a few moments, she couldn't stand the suspense.

"Oh Jake, what are we going to do?" she wailed into his shoulder. Jacob sighed heavily and patted her back.

"I don't know, Bella. All I know is that I love you, and now you know you love me, too. But you also love _him_. I can fight, and he can fight, but in the end, it's all up to you." He turned his head and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"I know, it's just so confusing. Life was easier when we were just friends," Bella moaned.

"I've never been just your friend, Bella," Jacob replied softly. "I've always wanted more since I saw you again at La Push." She nodded against his shoulder, wincing slightly. "I don't know how this is all going to end, and I'll probably end up getting really hurt, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. I want you, Bella; I want to be with you, and now that I know there's a chance you could want me too, I will always be here waiting."

"Jake, I don't want to hurt you. I want to give you everything you want and for you to be happy! But I really don't know how I can do that," Bella said unhappily.

"Well, I'm not asking for a decision right now--maybe the leech will--but I'm willing to wait until you know who you want to be with. Just promise me you will think long and hard about it and about everything you get to keep if you stay with me. Deal?"

"Deal," she said and snuggled closer into his chest. "Go to sleep, Jacob. I'll stay with you for a while 'til you do."

Jacob closed his eyes enjoying the feel of her against him, and even though he tried to beat back the hope that was inflating his heart, it followed him into his dreams--dreams of him and Bella and a life of blissful happiness.

~*~*~*~*~

Bella waited until Jacob's breathing got heavier. She stayed curled at his side for half an hour before deciding she should get up to go home. Now that she had seen he was alive and on the mend, she felt better about leaving him alone.

She waved goodbye to Billy and headed out into the night. Walking towards her truck, she contemplated what Jacob had asked. She needed to talk to Edward. She wasn't really sure how all of this would play out and prayed he would be as understanding and patient as Jacob had been. Bella knew Edward would have a harder time with this, as she had already agreed to marry him. Jacob was used to waiting for her to get a clue, but Edward was not.

Bella pulled up in front of her house and got out of her truck. The silence overwhelmed her when she turned it off. Her stomach was doing flips because she knew that Edward would be waiting for her. She sat for a moment getting a hold of herself before exiting the truck and heading into the house.

"Hi, Dad," she called out.

"Hey, Bells." He was on the couch watching a game and sat up when she walked in. "Was Jake awake when you got there?"

"Not when I got there, no, but he woke up after. He's doing okay, still messed up, but okay," she said

Charlie shook his head slowly. "See, Bella? Motorcycles are nothing but trouble. I'm glad you got rid of yours."

"I know, I know. Okay, Dad, I'm really tired. Alice had me running around all day. I'm heading to bed now." She dropped a kiss on the top of his head as he nodded and turned towards the stairs.

Bella trudged towards her room as if she was heading towards the gallows. She was unsure what type of reception she was likely to receive. After walking into her room, she closed the door and stood facing it for a moment before bracing herself and turning around to face Edward.

Edward was lying on her bed looking very composed and not angry at all. He had his hands behind his head, looking at her carefully with a small smile on his face. Bella's heart lurched at the sight of him. He was always so beautiful. It pained her to know that she had made him sad. She debated crawling on the bed with him, knowing that she smelled strongly of werewolf.

As if reading her mind, his smile widened and he said, "Human minute?" She returned the smile and nodded her head.

"Okay, I'll be here waiting for you, love," he said quietly.

Bella grabbed her toiletries bag and a pair of pajamas and went to the bathroom. She hopped in the tub once the water got warm and started soaping up. She thought about Edward and what she could possibly say to him. He seemed like he wasn't angry at least, which made her feel slightly less apprehensive. Perhaps he would understand her need to wait and figure things out. She grabbed her shampoo and started to lather it into her hair.

Edward lay on the bed listening to the noises coming down the hall from the bathroom. He had decided that he wasn't going to be upset about what happened earlier today. He had a vague understanding that if he started making demands on Bella, she would just balk, and he would end up pushing her away--right into the arms of that mongrel.

His jaw clenched tightly when he remembered seeing her in a passionate embrace with Jacob echoed in Seth's head. It took all he had not to chase Jacob down the mountain and kill him, but he knew it would be pointless. Yes, Jacob had fooled Bella into the kiss, but she had asked him to do it. Edward had said that if she ever asked Jacob to kiss her, there would be no retaliation. Now, he was mentally kicking himself for his overconfidence. He hadn't imagined she ever _would_ ask.

Angrily, he pushed everything out of his mind and took some deep breaths. No, tonight would be about him and Bella, to reconnect after everything that had happened today. Edward wanted her to know that he still loved her no matter what. He still wanted to marry her and spend eternity together. He heard the door of the bathroom open and prepared himself for her entrance.

Bella came into the room. Edward hadn't moved an inch, and he still had a small smile on his face, not quite her favorite crooked smile but close. The look in his eyes was unfathomable. She moved towards the bed and lay down beside him as he made room for her. Bella lay on her side facing Edward as he rolled to his side as well. He reached out to run his fingers down her face, and she closed her eyes.

This was Edward, _her_ Edward. How could she possibly tell him that she had reconsidered his proposal and needed some time?

"Edward…" she began and was stopped quickly by his soft kiss.

"Not tonight, Bella, please? I just want tonight to be about us. We can talk about all of this later, just not tonight." His cool breathed washed across her face and her head swam momentarily. She nodded mutely and let him lean in for another kiss.

Edward exalted silently when she nodded. He would do what she asked of him earlier that day. He would make her forget all about Jacob Black, no matter what it took. The kiss deepened and he prayed that he could control himself; he didn't want to pull back tonight. Practice makes perfect, he thought as he pulled Bella closer to him.

Bella sighed into his mouth as his lips parted slightly. He had never given in so easily before, and she took advantage of it. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip, carefully avoiding his teeth. Edward's cool tongue slipped out and met hers softly. The temperature contrast shocked her briefly as well as the knowledge that he had never used his tongue before. She gasped and pushed herself into him more firmly.

Edward was similarly affected by the kiss but instead of pulling away like he normally would, he leaned into it and let his tongue brush against hers lightly. Bella's hands wound into his hair, and he could feel every inch of her pressed against him. Trying not to get carried away, he pulled his mouth from hers and pressed it fervently under her jaw.

Bella couldn't get a grip on her senses when Edward kissed her, but these kisses were so different. He wasn't hesitant or cautious; he hadn't pulled away or told her that they must be careful. Instead, he pulled her closer. When he moved down and started to kiss her neck, she was panting lightly. He ran one hand slowly up and down the side of her body, while the other was buried deeply in her still damp hair. His thumb brushed the side of her breast whenever he passed it and drove her insane.

Edward's hand wrapped around her knee and hooked her leg around his waist. Surprisingly out of character, he pushed his erection against her. Bella's breathing spiked, her heart rate kicking up a notch. For once, he wanted her to know exactly what she did to him.

Bella's eyes flew open when she felt Edward pressed against her. She had always wondered what he felt like, and she ached to reach down with her hand and really feel him. Only the thought that this would all end if she tried stopped her. Instead, she gripped his head tighter and lost herself in the sensations he was bringing out in her.

Edward had moved his kisses lower still, and his lips skimmed along the edge of her top. He was painfully aware that she was braless under the silken fabric and slipped his tongue between the fabric and her skin. His erection throbbed excruciatingly against his pants, and he rubbed it slowly against Bella to see if that would ease it a bit. It made things worse.

Bella moaned softly at the feel of his length against her. His tongue was drawing lazy circles against her skin, his hand still brushing maddeningly over the sensitive side of her breast. She couldn't stop herself from rotating her hips against him in return. The pressure was continuing to build. Edward felt Bella grasp his head and pull it up to hers so she could kiss him.

"Edward," she whispered against his lips. Careful to not break the kiss, he rolled over so that she was on top of him.

Edward could feel her warm breasts pushed against him even through the clothing separating them. Even more forceful was the intense heat he felt emanating from her sex as she straddled him. He groaned slightly as she moved her hips up and down, the silky pajamas making the movement fluid and slippery.

Bella was still amazed Edward had let things go so far, but she was past the point of reason. She didn't want him to stop and hoped that he wouldn't, but until he did, she planned to make as much of this as she could.

Bella rose up and looked down at Edward, the expression in his eyes seared her. She saw a mixture of emotions, but in the forefront were his intense love for her and lust as well. She ran her hands across his perfect chest and started to unbutton his shirt. She wanted to feel his marble skin against her fingers.

Edward viciously drowned out the voice screaming at him to stop before things went too far. He was sick and tired of trying to fight this side of his nature. He knew that they wouldn't have sex because he wanted to wait until Bella was his wife, but he wanted to pleasure her tonight. Bella slipped her hands inside of his shirt, soliciting a soft hiss; she was running her fingers over his nipples, and it just felt so good. He looked at her sitting astride him, her eyes heavy-lidded, mouth open slightly, breathing rapid and shallow.

"Bella, you don't know how wonderful you feel to me right now," he said moaning softly. He grasped her hips and slid her up and down his length sensuously, eliciting a moan in return.

Edward couldn't take it anymore and sat up swiftly. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he kissed her hungrily. Bella gasped at the sudden movement as well as the feel of his chest against hers. The removal of his shirt made his cold skin much more noticeable through the thin satin that covered her. She felt her nipples pucker up, a cross between pain and pleasure.

Unable to control herself, Bella jerked her hips against him, heat pooling between her legs. Edward could feel her hard nipples pressed against him; he could smell her arousal. He reached a hand up to cup Bella's breast in his hand, and she moaned deeply in her throat and moved her hips faster.

Edward had enough room in his mind to both marvel at the warm softness of the breast in his hand and feel the increasing heat of Bella pressed tightly against his shaft. He also knew that she was becoming increasingly more excited, and he wanted more than anything to give her an orgasm.

The heat between Bella's legs started to blossom and spread. She had a guess at what was happening, even though she'd never experienced an orgasm before. She also knew that she didn't want to stop. She pressed herself harder into Edward, and he moaned against her skin. His thumb brushed against her nipple, and all of the sudden, she was shaking and shuddering against his body. Barely remembering Charlie downstairs, she pushed her lips against Edward's neck trying to muffle the moans she felt rising to the surface.

Edward cradled her against him until her spasms receded, placing soft kisses against her face. Slowly she came back down from her euphoria and began to return his kisses. He lifted her up, slipped her under the covers, and tucked her in like a child. Bella felt Edward spoon behind her and hold her close.

"Edward…" she began again.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear. "Not tonight, Bella. Sleep, my love, it's been a long day."

He began to hum her lullaby and, despite her best efforts, felt herself slipping into oblivion.

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**If you liked what you're reading I'd love to hear from you!! **


	6. Wary And Wanting

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Robyn, I wish I could throw in a zombie or two but that would be TOO much of a departure from the story! HHH… Also thanks to my multiple reviewers again! (Dreamngo4it9 and PegSmyth… thanks guys) This chapter has a lemon**

**I do not own Twilight, I just spin it in a dift direction ;)) **

**Italics indicate flashback sequence**

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As Edward ran home, he thought over the last ten hours. He had wanted to distract Bella and had succeeded, but come morning light, she wanted to discuss everything he had avoided that night. Bella explained that given the feelings she discovered about Jacob, she needed to seriously think over her options and asked for some time.

The news hit him like a ton of bricks. He had been so certain that after a short mourning period, things would go on as usual, and maybe Jacob would finally get the hint to leave Bella alone. It didn't seem like it was going to be that easy. All he could do was try to be patient and supportive, secure in the knowledge that he and Bella were meant to be together, and that they would be.

He arrived at his home and walked in the door. The whole family was there except for Jasper. Before he could go upstairs to change, Carlisle called to him.

"Edward, can you join us for a minute?"

Edward groaned internally and debated whether to ignore him, but one look at Carlisle's face made him walk into the living room. He sat next to Esme who wrapped an arm around him and gave him a quick squeeze. Upon quick scan of everyone's thoughts, he realized they were discussing the girl. She had been sequestered in the guesthouse with Jasper watching her, but her rapid mood swings were alarming him. They had to do something about the girl and quick.

Carlisle started without any preliminaries, knowing that Edward had caught up quickly by the look on his face.

"We are going to call the Denali and ask them to come for a reconciliation," Carlisle told Edward.

"Carlisle, do you think that is a good idea? Irina is still furious with the wolves over killing Laurent. I'm not sure she will be able to control herself being in such close proximity," Edward said, though he wouldn't mind so much if she decided to do away with Jacob Black. His lips pressed together hating the errant thought.

"We were hoping that perhaps Irina wouldn't come, but if she does, then you, Jasper, and Alice will have to keep a close eye on her to anticipate her movements."

Edward sighed. "Carlisle, I understand why you didn't want to destroy the girl, but this is quickly becoming a nuisance."

Rosalie sniffed.

"Funny, you didn't think inflicting a newborn onto the family would be such a 'nuisance' when it was going to be Bella!"

Edward shot her a disgusted look and ignored her. He looked back towards Carlisle who looked deeply upset and felt a moment of regret. He knew Carlisle's mind better than anyone and understood how he felt about killing. He would do it to save his family and only if provoked; even then, he hated it.

"Alright, so what do we do with her until the Denali come?" Edward asked.

"Right now Jasper is with her, but I don't think it's fair for him to take this upon himself, so we will break it up in shifts." Carlisle looked around the room. He hated imposing the girl on them, but there was no other way. He watched as they all nodded their assent but knew no one was really happy about any of it.

"Edward, would you mind taking over for Jasper? I know you have a lot on your mind right now, but it would be a great help if you could let us know what Bree is thinking and whether she is a threat or not."

Edward frowned. "Well, what does Alice see?" He glanced at his sister quickly and saw her grimace.

"I can't get a good picture of what her intentions are. The visions I have keep flickering, similar to what happened when the newborns were in Seattle." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. After a few moments, she exhaled impatiently and mumbled quietly.

"I _hate_ being blind!"

Edward had been watching her mind as the visions flickered in and out of focus, changing too rapidly to get a clear picture. He shook his head feeling disoriented.

"She's blocking you!" he said incredulously. Alice nodded her head.

"I think so." Her lips thinned as she frowned.

"So you see why we need you to speak with her son?" Carlisle interrupted. Edward looked at his father and nodded.

"Alright, just let me go up and get changed. I doubt I'll get much from her if she is crazed by Bella's scent on my clothes."

"Thank you, Edward." Carlisle gave him a little smile, but he was still disturbed over Alice's lack of vision of this girl that he had in his home.

~*~*~*~*~

_Bree lay in Riley's arms while he caressed her back lazily. She tried to concentrate on what he was telling her about the Yellow Eyes, but it was becoming difficult as his fingers trailed lower and lower. She was so engrossed that the cries and whimpers coming from the family they had tied up in the next room didn't even bother her._

_They had already fed off two of the humans, but Bree had become distracted watching Riley. Even while feeding, he exuded sensuality. He held the woman's body crushed to his. His lips wrapped around her throat as the blood pulsed hot into his mouth. The woman had tried to struggle, and her blood was smeared on his face and clothes._

_Bree dropped the boy she had been feeding from half-drained and jumped on Riley. She began licking the blood off his face in wide strokes. Soon she was clasped to his chest, and he was kissing her deeply. Bree jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist knocking him to the floor. They struggled briefly, but the noise their captives were making started to irritate Riley, so he picked Bree up, and they went into another room of the house._

_He didn't bother opening the door, just rammed Bree right through it. She laughed as the door splintered and then shattered around her stone body. It felt like feathers brushing her skin. She ripped at Riley's shirt, completely shredding it, and then ripped off her own, not bothering to wait._

_Riley threw her backwards into the air. She executed a complete flip, landing in a crouch clear across the room. A feral growl built up in her chest as Bree threw herself at him. Smiling, he launched into the air, and they collided, sounding like an avalanche. Riley had his arms around Bree as they touched down and tossed her on the floor._

_She had no time to react before her pants were ripped off unceremoniously. Riley stood above her with what was left of them in his fists. Bree smiled sweetly at him before grasping at his legs and returning the favor. He fell on her then and crushed his lips to hers fiercely; he grasped her breasts and pinched her nipples savagely until she cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure._

_Bree snapped her legs around Riley's waist and flipped him onto his back. She loved the fact that she was stronger than him since she had just been turned recently. She sat up and moved one of his hands against her core, she was already wet and ready to go. Riley flicked her clit with his finger, and she moaned._

"_You like that, baby?" he asked roughly. Bree moaned again in reply. He knew she liked it rough._

"_Yeah, I know you like it," Riley crooned at her._

_He grabbed her and flipped her onto her back so that she was lying on top of him with her back against his chest. Riley tore off her panties and plunged two fingers deep inside her and started to thrust furiously. His other hand was at her breasts kneading them._

_Bree jacked her hips against him as hard as she could to get him as deep as he could go. She reached down and started to stimulate her clit so she could get off quicker. Finally, she started to feel the familiar tingle start between her legs, and she moved her fingers faster in time with Riley's._

_Before she had a chance to notice what was happening, Riley pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his cock. He thrust himself deep into her, and she screamed out as her orgasm shook her. She whipped her head back and forth in a frenzy as he held on to her hips and repeatedly pushed into her as hard as he could._

"_Oh yeah, Riley! Don't stop!" she cried out loudly as she started to climax again. This one came over her quickly, but was much more forceful than her last._

_Riley started to grunt under her and moved at an even faster pace while he rode the peak of his own climax. His arms clamped around Bree and held her still while he finished. She urged him on vocally, loving the feel of him shuddering underneath her._

_When he let Bree go, she rolled onto her side, snuggling into him and running her hands over his body._

She felt Jasper get up and run out of the room and smiled wickedly. _That takes care of that one_, she thought. Bree had purposely brought up this memory and lingered on the details. She amplified the lust she felt, knowing that Jasper would be feeling it too. She wanted him weak and distracted and was pleased that she had figured out how to do that. She filed this away in her mind.

Bree heard Jasper speaking to someone outside before he ran off and automatically blocked her thoughts. She was thankful she did because at that moment, the mind-reader walked into the room.

She hadn't gotten a close look at him before now, and her breath stuck in her throat. He was the single most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. He walked like a panther, powerful yet fluid, his body hard and sinewy, head held erect and proud.

Bree wanted him--wanted him like she wanted nothing else in her life, and she vowed she would have him, no matter what it took.

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**The Bree and Riley encounter is always kind of how I picture Rosalie and Emmett, it was fun to write! Let me know if you liked it ;)) ****Reviews are love! **


	7. Ribbons Of Colour

**Twilight is not mine**

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Edward saw Jasper run out of the guesthouse, his thoughts a tangled mess vibrating with… lust? What in the world happened in there? Jasper's eyes were wild and glazed over when Edward grasped his shoulders and gave him a firm shake.

"Jasper? What happened?" Suddenly, in his mind, he experienced what the girl had been feeling clearly in Jasper's head. He gasped at the force of the emotion radiating from her and fought against the effect it had on him.

"What… was… _that_?" he whispered.

"I don't know!" Jasper replied desperately. "I have to get out of here, I can't stand it any longer!" He wrenched out of Edward's grasp and ran.

Edward turned to watch his brother disappear into the forest towards the main house. Tentatively, he cast his mind out, ready to pull back at the first sense that she hadn't quite finished with her reverie. He waited for the sexually charged onslaught, but nothing came. No, that wasn't right; he did hear something, but it wasn't the coherent thought he was expecting. It was more like a sensory output, as if her thoughts were reflected in color instead of words. Right now, the brightest yellow flashed in his mind in peaks and valleys.

Frowning, Edward stepped closer to the small stone cottage and opened up his mind further. The brightness of the color intensified and swirled in his brain. Happiness? Yes, the tenor of her mind was clearly audible, but the thoughts behind them were not.

He walked briskly to the door and entered the guesthouse. The girl glanced up at him and the color rapidly changed, the yellow bleeding into a cloying red that seemed to swirl sensuously against him. Edward stopped where he stood, regarding the girl curiously. He concentrated harder on her thoughts, trying to decipher their meaning, but nothing came.

Suddenly, the red leached away to a crystal clear white, and he realized that she had cleared her mind. This was disturbing, to say the least. His family was expecting him to help figure out what the girl was thinking and feeling, and he would have no information for them. This, coupled with Alice's lack of vision and the overload of Jasper's empath ability meant--he realized sickeningly-- they had no way to know what this girl was all about or if she was a danger to them.

Edward was thankful they were inviting the Denali to come and help with the girl in more ways than one. First, he hoped that they would take her into the wilderness with them, so Bella would be welcome back to the house. Second, they would need Eleazar to meet with her and let them know what her latent powers were. Obviously, the girl had some type of gift.

Eleazar had worked with the Volturi. Just by being in the presence of a vampire, he could tell if they had any powers. This came in handy, especially if the Volturi needed to acquire someone with a special gift. When Eleazar met Carmen, he left that life behind him and joined Tanya and her sisters in Denali to live out a more peaceful existence.

All this passed through his mind in a second; he arranged his features in a semblance of friendliness and greeted her.

"Hello, Bree," he said softly so as not to startle her. Her mind pulsed red when he spoke before becoming a blank again. "My name is Edward."

Bree felt a moment of desire at the sound of his voice. It was quiet but resonated deeply, a simply luscious sound. She drank him in--his disheveled hair, his smoldering golden eyes, the perfect curve of his lips, almost feminine in their lushness. He had high cheekbones, a broad clear forehead, and a square chin. His shirt and pants clung to his frame, long and lean, yet hinting at the promise of muscular definition. She shuddered briefly as arousal flooded her senses.

"Hello, Edward," she said, matching his tone.

"I know this must all be confusing for you. Is there anything you need that will help you feel more at home?" Edward asked her solicitously.

"Well…" she said hesitantly, "I'm getting awfully thirsty. I was wondering what the plan is, you know, to hunt?"

"Oh, right, of course you would be. Why don't we go back to the house so I can let Carlisle know and see if anyone else wants to join us."

_Thirst; of course she would be thirsty,_ thought Edward. As a newborn, she would need blood much more frequently than they did. That would probably explain the pulses of red he felt directed at him occasionally. Red meant hunger? It was plausible.

Edward made a gesture for her to follow him, and she rose to her feet in a fluid motion. He appraised the girl for a moment. She was slight of stature and slim flanked. Her hair came to just under her chin and framed a delicate face with large eyes and full lips, both crimson-colored. Her small, high breasts poked out underneath her shirt as she pulled her shoulders back and thrust her chest out. Edward averted his eyes quickly, but if he had the ability to flush, his cheeks would have flamed.

A flash of scarlet pulsed at him yet again and reminded him that she must be thirsty, so he turned for the door. Bree followed him quietly as he ran towards the big house, her desire for him kept escaping her control and she could feel it break through her carefully crafted wall against the mind-reader. She would have to work on that.

They walked into the house, and Bree looked around her. She had no idea vampires could live this way. The subtle opulence of the house was reflected from every surface. After Bree was turned, they had spent the majority of their time wandering around aimlessly. Sometimes they stayed in the houses of their victims for a few days at a time until someone decided to come and see why their phone calls were not being answered, and the police flooded the place. The idea of having a home struck her to the core.

Edward felt her thoughts shift and green clouded his mind briefly. He looked at the girl, watching her surreptitiously as he explainined to his family why they came. Carlisle's thoughts called to him.

_Edward, have you found out anything about our guest?_

He shook his head slightly, still watching the girl. Carlisle frowned deeply.

_Is she blocking you as well?_

Edward lifted one shoulder faintly, indicating he wasn't quite sure, while arranging for Emmett and Rosalie to accompany them on the girl's first vegetarian hunting trip. They left shortly after.

Carlisle watched as they ran towards the river and into the forest. He flipped open his cell and punched a number in quickly.

"Tanya? It's Carlisle…"

~*~*~*~*~

The next day, Bree sat on one of the couches staring out the glass wall towards the forest. She was mulling over her first animal hunt. She had hated it. Animals tasted disgusting as food in comparison to human blood. It barely even slaked her thirst. Bree wasn't sure how she would ever get accustomed to it.

The doorbell rang, and Bree looked up to see five vampires saunter into the house. There were four females and one male, each more beautiful than the next. Carlisle was at the door welcoming all of them. If she understood correctly, she may be leaving with them when they returned back to the Alaskan wilderness. She glanced over at Edward, and her resolve hardened. They wouldn't take her if she could help it.

"Bree?" Carlisle called to her. She stood up to meet with the Denali vampires.

After the introductions, he asked her quietly if she would mind showing Eleazar and Carmen to the guesthouse so they could speak with the sisters alone. Bree knew that there had been some bad blood between them in regards to the werewolves and wasn't suspicious about the request. She left with the two vampires.

What Bree didn't know was that Carlisle had explained everything to Tanya and had asked if perhaps Eleazar could come and see what latent gifts the girl had as a show of good faith between the two families. They had agreed in order to mend the rift.

Carmen and Eleazar sat with Bree and talked with her, keeping her distracted. After a while, she became bored and excused herself to one of the bedrooms for a book. Not realizing the young girl was coming back, they began to talk amongst themselves.

"So, _mi amor_? Does she possess any talents?" Carmen asked in a sotto voce.

Bree pressed herself against the hallway wall and prayed she had been quiet enough that they hadn't noticed her return. Talents? It had never really occurred to her that perhaps she was gifted like some of the Cullens; certainly nothing such as their powers, for she would have noticed right away had that been the case. She listened intently wondering how Eleazar would know.

"Carlisle was right to call us; the girl is very talented, as a matter of fact," he said quietly. "He was also very smart not to tell her that I can sense latent powers in vampires, as she is quite adept at blocking other vampire powers."

"Ah, so that is why Alice and Edward can't seem to get a good read on her."

"Yes, she has been prepared, by the looks of it. Not only that, but she is a Siphon." Carmen drew in a sharp breath.

_Siphon_? Bree thought. What does that mean? As if in answer to her question, Eleazar started to speak again.

"She can extract emotions, so if someone is sad or upset she would be able to draw it straight out of them."

Both of them stayed silent a moment, contemplating what had been said. Bree's mind was in turmoil. A siphon! Who knew such a thing even existed? She doubted she would have even realized she had this gift at all, but now it gave her an idea.

The two vampires began another conversation. While they were engrossed with each other, she silently let herself out of the cottage and snuck back to the house. She came from the side so no one would see her and sat underneath one of the living room windows. She could dimly hear the Cullens and Denali sisters speaking inside.

Bree wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She cleared her mind and reached out to everyone in the room. Sure enough, she started to feel the emotional climate of the room, and she concentrated harder. She was able to pick out the various vampires and started to focus on the sisters.

One in particular caught her attention. Her emotional climate was mostly angry but held in check by the love she felt for the Cullens. The love was growing by increments as Carlisle tried his best to make peace. Bree could see the emotions swirl around the woman, black held by a thin ribbon of the palest pink.

_Now what?_ Bree thought to herself grimly. _How do I take it?_ She closed her eyes and focused completely on Irina. Bree drew in a breath and saw the ribbon shift towards her slightly, as if wafting in a breeze. Her eyes snapped open, and she felt a thrill shoot through her body. She closed her eyes again, bringing Irina back into focus and drew another breath. This one was deeper than the last, and the ribbon started to unravel.

Bree started to become giddy and sucked the air into her lungs deeper yet. The pink ribbon that had been holding Irina's anger in check floated away entirely. She was now completely surrounded by the blackness, and Bree listened breathlessly as the vampire lost her patience and snapped.

Bree ran back to the cottage as fast as she could. Her nimble feet carried her through the forest without a sound. She made it back into the cottage and onto the bed with a book before she heard the door to the guesthouse fly open. She heard Irina's irate voice and smiled to herself.

"That's _it_! We're leaving. Now. Eleazar, Carmen, let's go!" Bree heard the two vampires starting to question Irina as she walked into the living area. She put on her best scared child impression.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Bree asked innocently.

Irina turned on her angrily. "None of your damned business!"

"Irina, please!" She heard Carlisle begging her, "Don't do this."

"Carlisle, the time for talking is over!" she seethed. "Either you let me take revenge on the wolves, or we leave here, now."

Carlisle shook his head mutely, trying to figure out how everything went so wrong so fast. It seemed just a moment ago that Irina had forgiven them for not allowing retaliation, and then, all of the sudden, she just exploded. Her sisters Tanya and Kate had even been taken aback by her sudden vehemence but really had no choice but to support her wishes. It was either that or split up their family, and they just couldn't face losing a sister after the loss of their mother.

Carmen and Eleazar looked from the sisters to the Cullens, unsure of what to do. Bree focused on them both to find the color of their indecision and drew it away in a swift breath. She was pleased how much easier it seemed to be getting. The two vampires looked at Carlisle mournfully before following the three sisters who had already left.

"I just don't understand…" Carlisle began, confused.

Esme walked up to him and placed an arm around his waist. Her eyes were wide. She looked like she would cry if she had tears. The rest of the family had similar expressions on their faces: confusion, disappointment, betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle," Jasper began quietly, "I should have tried to calm Irina down, but her anger just came from nowhere!"

"It's alright, Jasper, this isn't your fault. Alice, do you see Irina attacking the wolves?" Carlisle asked urgently.

Alice closed her eyes promptly and shook her head.

"No," she said slowly. "They just go back home." She had a frown on her face. "It almost seems like Irina isn't quite sure why she lost her temper so violently. I feel her shame and regret."

The Cullens all looked at each other in confusion.

Carlisle sighed. "Well, maybe once she calms down she will contact us. Let's go back to the house." He turned to face Bree. "Looks like you will be staying with us for a while, young one."

Bree hid a smile in her cheek. Things had gone according to her plan, and she was thrilled. She turned to see Edward looking at her, his head cocked to the side with a quizzical expression.

She threw up her guard and saw a slight frown mar his face. Confusion, she noticed, was gray. She inhaled swiftly, and it dissipated. Edward's face became smooth once more. Bree smiled at him coyly. He shook his head slightly before returning her smile, and they all headed back to the big house.

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**What do you think of Bree's power?? Review = love!!!  
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	8. A Plan Forms

**T****wilight and its characters do not belong to me, that honour goes to Stephenie Meyer**

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A few weeks had passed with no more fanfare. The Denali sisters studiously ignored any attempts at contact from the Cullens, and Bree couldn't be happier. She was slowly gaining the family's trust and was now allowed more freedom around the house. Usually someone still kept an eye on her, but she didn't mind so much, especially when it was Edward.

Edward had been brooding lately and was constantly surrounded by anger, hurt, and jealousy, yet woven through it all was a constant ribbon of love for his human. Bree had tried to pull at it, but it remained firm and in tact, much to her chagrin.

Besides being polite to her, he didn't really give her the time of day. Most times he played his piano, the song usually representing the color that had dominance at that moment. Sometimes he would play a beautiful, heart-wrenching song she had never heard before. She noticed that he played it when most of his other feelings disappeared, and he was surrounded by love. He shone with it. Bree would wish in those moments that his love was for her and not the mousy girl named Bella.

She had to get his attention, had to make him realize she was alive, but she wasn't sure how. Bree tried time and again to exert her power over him. For some things, it worked, but the love he had for the human was so entrenched, it was as if it were a physical part of him, like an arm or leg.

Bree started to wonder, did the human feel the same as him? Would it be possible for one of her kind to feel as deeply as a vampire? Perhaps she was going about this all wrong. She pondered all of Edward's recent emotions again: the anger, the jealousy. He wouldn't be feeling those ones so strongly if all was well with Bella; he would be surrounded only by love. Bree needed to see the human again. It was imperative that she test her emotional climate. If perhaps Bella's emotions could be tampered with, it may loosen the hold Edward had on _his _love, allowing Bree to make her move.

"Edward?" she called to him, keeping her mind carefully blank.

He turned from the piano to face her, and she felt a burst of arousal when his golden eyes met her own.

"Yes, Bree?" he responded when she didn't continue right away.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Bree looked down. Affecting her best sorrowful expression, she played with her hands. From the corner of her eye, she saw a questioning look cross his face and tried to keep from smiling.

"Sorry for what?" he replied predictably.

"Well, I feel as if it's my fault that your… _girlfriend_… has been banished from the house." Bree lifted her eyes to his then and watched as he reacted to the look on her face. She needed to make sure she looked completely remorseful so he would forget his annoyance that Bella wasn't able to come and visit. It seemed to be working.

"Oh," Edward said, lifting his brows. The girl looked so pitiful, he hadn't the heart to be upset with her. "That's okay, Bree. Once you are in better control of yourself, Bella will be able to come back. It's only a matter of time." He smiled faintly at her.

_Bingo!_ Bree thought to herself. This was proving to be easier than she had thought.

"Well, that's kind of what I was thinking about!" she started enthusiastically. "I know everyone thinks it's too soon, but I feel like I'm ready now."

"I don't know if that is a good idea, Bree…" Edward began.

"Wait, just hear me out. I think if I'm prepared to being around a human, I can resist easier. We'll do it on a day when everyone is home so that way, if I can't control myself, Jasper can calm me down, and Emmett can go with me to the guesthouse." She spoke quickly and excitedly. Edward was still wrapped in indecision, and she gave a slight pull to unravel it. Finally, it floated away from him. Bree was thankful she still had some measure of control over his other emotions at least.

Edward hadn't been convinced at first, but as he mulled over what she was saying, it started making more sense to him. It was getting increasingly more difficult to have Bella stay away from here. Her father still wasn't crazy about him spending time at their house and made it as uncomfortable as possible. Not to mention, with all that extra time on her hands, Bella had been taking the opportunity to visit La Push and spend extra time with Jacob. If she was allowed to come visit, then he could at least take back _some_ of that time for himself.

Of course, they had to be very careful so as not to repeat what happened at Bella's birthday party, when Jasper attacked her. With the proper precautions, it _could_ work. Edward would go find Carlisle and see what he thought.

Bree watched Edward's aura float and change around him and knew that she had succeeded in her plan. She made sure her thoughts were well protected; she didn't want Edward to know what she was scheming.

"You know," Edward said thoughtfully, "It just might work. We'll all talk about it tonight and see what everyone else thinks."

This time Bree couldn't hide her triumphant smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Edward slipped into Bella's window later that night, fairly busting with enthusiasm. He hopped lightly on her bed and took her in his arms. He then covered her face with tiny kisses. She smiled gently and lifted her chin so he could move down to her neck as well.

"Mmmm, I missed you," he whispered against her skin.

"I missed you, too," she replied, sighing softly. Her arms crept up around his neck as his lips brushed against hers.

Edward had expanded his personal boundaries with her since that first night. Bella knew it was most likely in direct response to what had happened between her and Jacob, but she wasn't about to complain. If he wanted to prove to her that he could give her as much affection as Jacob, she wouldn't try to disabuse him of the notion.

Bella hadn't told Edward that during her visits to La Push, Jacob's attentions had been more than chaste. He hadn't wanted to rush her and was just happy to be able to spend time with her and remind her of his undying love. It was a nice change. Had she known Jacob would have lost the desperate need to possess her once they kissed, she would have done it sooner.

Although she did want to kiss Jacob and be more affectionate, she held back for several reasons. First, she was still unsure of who she would choose, but she didn't want to lead Jacob on any more than he already was. Second, she didn't want to confuse herself further by being intimate with both of them simultaneously. Lastly, she still felt that she was betraying Edward and subconsciously fought against anything that would cause him more pain.

All these thoughts flew from her head as Edward's lips became more insistent. When she was alone with him like this, it was hard to remember anything besides the two of them existed. After a few more kisses, Edward pulled back and smiled at her.

"I have some good news," he said happily.

"I like good news. What is it?"

"You may no longer be banished from the house."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "_Really_? How did you manage that? And what about the newborn?"

"Well," Edward said, "Bree seems to think she can manage to be in the same house with you. All of us will be there in case anything happens. I spoke with Carlisle, and he thinks it's a good idea to start desensitizing her slowly to the scent of humans.

"Of course, at first, you won't be in the same room together--that may be pushing our luck, so we thought you and I could just stay in my room while Bree is downstairs. What do you think?"

Bella mulled it over for a few moments. She really missed the rest of Edward's family and being able to spend some quality time with everyone sounded wonderful. As she thought, it occurred to her that Edward was being very cavalier about everything. Her safety was always forefront in his mind, so to bring her so close to a newborn struck her as odd.

"You know, I'm surprised you would even consider this," Bella said. Seeing Edward's confused expression, she continued, "I mean you have a hard time trusting Jasper around me much less a newborn! You must miss me more than I thought." She laughed lightly.

"When Jasper attacked you, no one could foresee that happening. With Bree, we can expect the best but prepare for the worst. Bella, you can't honestly think I'd willingly put you in any type of danger, do you?"

"Well,_ no_…" Bella started. "It's just that this seems unlike you, that's all."

Edward paused and had a moment of self-doubt. He remembered originally thinking it was too dangerous for Bella to be around Bree but then those thoughts had simply vanished. Maybe he _was_ too anxious to have Bella return to the house. But he wouldn't purposely endanger her life just for his own selfishness, would he? No, he couldn't imagine ever doing that.

He shook his head slightly and looked at Bella. "Maybe you're right," he said, "Perhaps it's a bad idea." The look on his face was so mournful that Bella immediately felt bad for saying anything.

"No, I didn't say that! Actually, I was kind of thinking it would be nice to spend some time with Alice and see Esme. And, of course, I get to be with you, which is always wonderful." She leaned in for a quick kiss.

Edward gave her a big smile, his face lighting with joy. "So you'll come over soon then?"

"How about tomorrow?" she replied, matching his expression. Edward grabbed her and began peppering her face in kisses again. Bella started laughing.

"I'll take that as a _yes_," she said breathlessly as Edward's kisses became more urgent.

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**I hope you liked this chapter! Do you love it? Do you hate it? Please let me know**


	9. Closer

**A/N: This goes out to all of you still reading! Thanks so much for the support!**

**Twilight and it's characters do not belong to me**

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In anticipation of Bella's arrival, Bree had been practicing her skills. She could now pinpoint each vampire in the entire house and the timbre of their emotions, no matter where they were. She was also pleased to see that her power had increased to the point that she could manipulate whomever she chose without having to be in the same room with them.

At the moment, she could hear Emmett and Rosalie in their bedroom. It was a shame no one could know of her gift; she was sure Emmett would have been thankful that she had stripped Rosalie of her constant disdain to reveal the lust that swirled just beneath the surface.

Bree chuckled quietly to herself as she heard Emmett cry like a little girl. _Wow, Rosalie must be good! Oh well, at least someone is getting some,_ she thought as she looked over at Edward.

He was at his piano again, and even though he had a resigned look on his face – no doubt from the thoughts shouting at him from upstairs--he was surrounded by love and happiness. Bree knew that he was looking forward to Bella's arrival and felt her dead heart give a squeeze. If all went well today, maybe soon all those feelings would be for _her,_ instead of the human.

With one last poignant note, Edward brought the song he was playing to an end. He glanced quickly at his watch and was pleased to note Bella should be arriving at any minute. Both he and Bree smiled in anticipation.

~*~*~*~*~

Bella got ready to go over to Edward's house. She gave herself a glance in the mirror and sighed. Her face looked pale and her hair was a mess as usual. She picked up her brush and tried to make herself look presentable. After a few moments she gave up. It was a good thing Edward didn't care how she looked.

She stuck her tongue out at her reflection, grabbed her jacket and keys, and went down the stairs. Charlie was off on one of his fishing expeditions, so she just scribbled a quick note before heading out the door. She ran to the truck trying not to maim herself and shook the rain off the hood of her coat.

On the drive there, Bella started to get excited. It felt like forever since she had been to see the Cullens. She wasn't particularly happy that she had to hide out in Edward's room while she was there but pushed that aside.

When Bella pulled up to the house, Edward was already waiting for her with a big smile on his face. He must have heard the rumble of the truck's engine from the road. He came to the driver's side, had her door open, and swept her in his arms as soon as she had thrown the truck in park.

After kissing her thoroughly, Edward reached back in the cab and snagged her keys. He took Bella's hand, and they walked towards the house at human speed. When they reached the porch, he turned to her with a serious expression on his face.

"Okay, so this is what we'll do: Bree is already in the living room with Emmett and Jasper; I'm going to carry you into the house and straight to my room. If Bree has a difficult time, then they will bring her to the guesthouse, and we'll leave." He looked in her eyes searchingly. "How do you feel about that?"

Bella looked at him and nodded. "I'm good; if you think it's safe, then I trust you. I kind of wanted to see Esme and Alice though."

Edward smiled at her. "They're already in my room waiting for you." He leaned in for another quick kiss. "They missed you too, Bella."

"Okay, let's do this!" Bella held her breath as Edward scooped her up and ran her into the house. Before she knew it, he was lowering her onto the bed gently.

True to his word, Alice and Esme were waiting for her. Bella sprang up and ran to embrace the two women.

"I missed you all so much," Bella said against Esme's shoulder

"We missed you as well, Bella," she said softly. "Unfortunately, we had to take precautions due to Bree's presence."

"Speaking of Bree," Edward said, "I'm just going to go downstairs to make sure everything is okay. Then you three can all catch up." He smiled at Bella, dropped a quick kiss on her forehead, and darted out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~

Bree watched Edward as he flew out of the house to meet the human. He heard them speaking quietly and then he ran back into the house with her in his arms. As the scent of Bella reached Bree, her throat burst into flame and her mouth welled with venom. Her muscles coiled like tightly wound springs. She felt Emmett and Jasper grab a hold of her tightly to keep her from running after them and attacking Bella.

"It's too soon!" Jasper said urgently, looking towards Carlisle.

"Should we get her out of here?" Emmett had a strong hold on the slight girl and could feel her body vibrating under his hands.

Carlisle instructed Jasper to send her a wave of calm and kneeled then in front of Bree. He took her clawed hands in his.

"Bree, do we need to remove you? If it's too much, we must get you back to the guesthouse right away!"

Through her intense bloodlust she heard them talking to her and realized if she didn't get a handle on her emotions, her plan would be ruined. If she failed now, it would be months before she had another chance to manipulate Bella's emotions.

Bree affixed a picture of Edward in her mind and stopped breathing. Automatically, that helped lessen the burn in her throat. She felt Jasper send her a calming wave and, for once, welcomed it. By degrees, her posture became more relaxed and soon, she didn't need to grip onto the men holding her down.

"I'm okay," she rasped. "It's better now, I swear." She drew in a blazing breath and fought back the savage need to rip out of Emmett and Jasper's grasp to feed. She needed Edward; she knew the sight of him could calm her. As if on cue, he appeared in front of her.

Edward assessed the situation quickly. He looked at Carlisle.

"Is it too dangerous?" He glanced back at Bree anxiously, but she was starting to look more composed.

Edward kneeled in front of her beside Carlisle. Bree looked at his furrowed brow and anxious eyes. She knew that if she didn't manage to convince him she could handle having Bella near that he would bolt upstairs and take her away.

Bree started to concentrate on her power, fiercely pushing her bloodlust out of her mind. She focused on the vampires surrounding her and started to pull on their apprehension. Slowly, she felt the men relax. Bree also realized that when she used her gift, it took precedent, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think she's okay," Jasper said quietly, "or at least, she is right at this moment."

"I can do this." Bree looked at each of them, "Edward, go back upstairs, Jasper and Emmett will stay with me, but I'm getting accustomed to her smell. That's the plan, right? To get used to having Bella nearby?" All of them nodded.

"Okay, I'm going back upstairs then. Let me know if anything changes." He looked at his brothers and father severely and walked out of the room.

Bree watched him go intently. The bloodlust taking a back seat to the eagerness and excitement she felt.

Beside her Jasper stiffened slightly at her emotional climate. He was unsure why Bree felt ecstatic all of things. Something was off. Something was _wrong_. Before he could delve into it too deeply, he felt his suspicions fade. He shook his head, slightly unsure why he had felt so uneasy just a moment ago.

Bree glanced at Jasper sidelong. No one was going to stop her today. _No one_.

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**Have a hate on for Bree?? Let it out!! Review review review!**


	10. Against Her Wishes

**Twilight does not belong to me... I just like to pretend :)) No copy infringement is intended!**

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Edward walked back into the bedroom and smiled at Alice and Bella who were curled up on the bed beside each other laughing and talking. Esme had left to go finish a home renovation project she was working on. He walked over and sat at the foot of the bed.

Alice sat up with an inquisitive expression.

"Well, since you haven't picked Bella up and whisked her out of here, I guess that means everything is okay?"

"It seems that way," Edward said smoothly. "Jasper and Emmett will stay with Bree, and if anything happens, we should be well forewarned. I'd appreciate if you stayed nearby, _just_ in case she manages to get past them, but I'm relatively certain nothing will happen."

"Wait a second." Bella looked at Alice. "Wouldn't you see if anything bad happened? I know a snap decision could be made to alter…" She trailed off when Alice started to shake her head back and forth.

"No, Bella, I can't see Bree at all." Alice looked down at her hands, frustrated. "Well, that's not exactly right, what I see is just flickers! Not enough to know what will happen with any certainty."

Bella looked dumbfounded. Besides the wolves, this was the first time Alice wasn't able to see ahead. It was especially disconcerting because the newborn was a vampire, and Alice could see them the clearest of all. Edward came around to Bella's side of the bed and put his arm around her.

"Bella, we aren't quite sure what it is about Bree that thwarts our abilities," he began.

"You can't _hear_ her, either?" Edward looked down into Bella's stricken face.

"No. I only get… pictures. No, that isn't right; it's more like pulses of color. A lot of times, I get nothing at all, just… white." Edward ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign of agitation.

"Do you think that's her power?"

Alice and Edward looked at each other, having a silent conversation.

"It's possible," Edward said finally. " We had invited Eleazar here to see if he could give us an idea of what her latent gifts were – if any – but then everything went crazy, and we haven't been able to get in touch since."

"I'm sure Eleazar would have contacted us if he thought we were in danger. Irina aside, he wouldn't betray us like that." Alice patted Bella's hand gently. "Anyway, I'll leave you two alone, but don't worry, Bella; even if Bree did lose control, she couldn't get past _all_ of us."

With a wink and a wave, Alice left the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Bree had been listening to the conversation upstairs intently. Her eyes lit up with malicious glee when she heard Alice's parting remark. Oh, how wrong she was. So wrong.

Of course, Alice was correct in her assumption that _physically_, Bree would be unable to get past the Cullens. Mind you, she didn't want Bella Swan dead--not that she was opposed to the idea--but she knew that if the human died at her hands, Edward would never be hers. He would detest her completely, and Bree couldn't have that.

No, she wanted the human to reject Edward and send him willingly into Bree's waiting arms. She focused now on the two of them; they were lying on the bed embracing. Bree pinpointed the girl and found what she was looking for.

She had learned a lot about the color of love by living with the Cullens. Bree knew that the love of family and friends was the palest shade of pink, almost white in its purity, while that of a lover was dark, vivid, and shocking. Bella was circled by love, but there were _two_ strands.

_Yes,_ Bree thought. That explains everything: why Edward was sullen and seemed to mope often, why the songs he played were usually melancholy, why some days he seemed to be swallowed whole by the dark jade of jealousy. There was another!

Bree felt contempt for the girl. How could she even think to love another when she had someone so magnificent in her grasp? Bella didn't deserve Edward or his love. Any remorse Bree may have felt for what she was about to do dissipated.

She concentrated on Bella and noticed that the second strand was neither pale nor the vivid pink she expected. It was halfway between the two colors. It was obvious Bella loved Edward more than the mystery fellow, but Bree hoped she could rectify that little problem.

Ignoring the searing agony of thirst, she inhaled, deeply focusing on the love Bella felt for Edward. The ribbon stayed intact. _No, this can't be happening! _A human shouldn't have resistance against her powers!

Bree closed her eyes and tried again.

~*~*~*~*~

Bella knew when Edward began to kiss her that he was trying to distract her from the strange conversation they just had about the newborn. Even though the thought that Bree could seemingly deflect both Edward and Alice's powers concerned her, Bella soon forgot all about it as the kisses gained in intensity.

After a few minutes, Bella started to feel different. Out of nowhere she started thinking about Jacob and the kiss they had shared. The difference between his soft, warm lips and the cool, firm ones pressed against her mouth now. Shocked and dismayed, Bella broke away from Edward and sat up. She pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide and confused.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward looked at her concernedly.

"I… I don't know." Bella looked around vaguely as if trying to remember why she was here. She felt like she was supposed to be somewhere else.

"What do you mean? Are you not feeling well?" Edward frowned and reached for her, he was surprised when she flinched away from his touch. "Please, Bella! Tell me what's wrong!"

"I don't think I should be here… with you," Bella said in a low voice, confusion still etched on her face. She backed off of the bed and stood up looking towards the door.

"Bella, don't be absurd! Where else should you be?" Edward was starting to lose his patience. He couldn't understand why she was acting so strangely.

Bella turned towards him. She wished she could explain to him what was happening but she didn't really know herself. She had this irresistible urge to be with Jacob. When she looked at Edward, she felt like she didn't even know him anymore or why she wanted to be with him.

_No_! she cried out to herself. _This was _Edward_!_ He was the love of her life, her reason for being; she couldn't survive without him. But as she looked into his distressed face, she didn't feel any of that. All she felt was… nothing.

Edward got up off the bed and stood in front of her. He grasped Bella's shoulders tightly and gave her a little shake, "Talk to me! Why are you acting this way?"

"I don't think I can do this anymore," Bella said emotionlessly, her eyes completely dead.

"Do what? Damn it, Bella, you aren't making any sense!" Edward's voice rose bordering on hysteria.

"_This_!" Bella exploded, her tone matching his. "You, me, _us_! I don't think it's going to work!" A sob escaped her throat.

Edward looked at Bella incredulously and dropped his hands from her shoulders. He felt like he had been pole axed. Never in his whole existence would he ever have imagined those words coming from Bella's mouth. He still couldn't believe it now. If he didn't know he was incapable of sleep, he would have thought this was a nightmare.

"Bella," he whispered in an agonized voice, "what are you saying?"

"I don't think I want to live this life anymore, Edward. I think Jacob and I are meant to be together." Bella's face was deadly serious as she uttered the words that would destroy him forever.

At that moment, Alice burst into the room, her eyes were brimming with confusion. "What is happening? Bella, your life just disappeared. It's gone!"

Bella wheeled around to look at Alice and then rushed out the door of the room. She stumbled down the stairs, out the door to her truck. It started with a roar, and she threw it into gear to leave as fast as she could.

Alice watched her go, too stunned to stop her. When she turned to ask Edward what happened she watched as he crumpled to the floor. He leaned against the bed with his hands fisted in his hair. His face was a tortured mask, and a sob escaped his throat.

"What are you _doing_?" Alice screeched at him, "Go _after_ her!" She got down on her knees and pulled at his arms.

At this point, the rest of the family had gathered at the door to Edward's bedroom all of them looking on confused as Alice cried and pummeled Edward, shouting at him to go find Bella.

Finally, Edward jumped to his feet and turned on them all in fury.

"She's gone! She finally realized I'm a monster and that she has the chance at a normal human life with Jacob," he cried. "She chose…. And it's not me she wants." On the last word his voice cracked and broke.

His family stood in stunned silence until Carlisle spoke.

"Edward, are you…" he began softly.

"GET OUT! All of you! JUST GET _OUT_!" Edward roared. When no one moved, he staggered to the door and pushed past them. "Fine, then I'll leave," he said quietly before escaping from the house.

The seven vampires watched him leave. Six of them looking distraught while one's eyes glittered with triumph.

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**Phew! This was a hard chapter for me to write... you don't know how WRONG it felt to make Bella say she no longer loved or wanted Edward! Ack! Bree is one heinous bitch isn't she?? Agree or disagree? Let me know!!**


	11. Deja Vu and Realisations

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Sonyabrady1971… Here's your answer! ;)) This chapter has a lemon slice.**

**Twilight and its universe is not mine**

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Bella didn't stop driving until she reached Jacob's house. She wasn't sure why she came, only that she had an overwhelming need to be near him. Before she turned off the ignition, Jacob was already at the door smiling at her with pleasure. She beamed at him in return and got out of the truck.

"Hey, Bells! I didn't think I'd see you today," he called out to her as she walked towards the house.

When Bella got closer to Jacob, she took his face in her hands, brought it to her level, and kissed him. He froze as her lips met his; she hadn't willingly kissed him since that day on the mountain. Jacob hadn't wanted to be too forceful for fear of scaring her off. Now that Bella knew what she felt for him was more than friendship, he had wanted her to make the next move.

_Was this it?_ he thought erratically. Had Bella made her decision? Despite the flood of warmth that began in the pit of his stomach, he took a step back from her and looked at her face searchingly. What he saw there shocked him. Bella was looking up at him expectantly, and she was positively glowing. It was the way Jacob had always wanted her to look at him, the way she usually looked at thebloodsucker.

"Umm, Bella? Not that I'm complaining or anything but… what was that about?" Mentally, he kicked himself for even asking and not just going with it, but he was confused and wanted clarification.

Ignoring his question, she asked, "Is Billy home?" breezing past him into the living room.

"Uh, no… he went over to Sue's; he'll be there for the rest of the day." Jacob closed the door and when he turned around Bella reached her arms around his neck and said huskily, "Good."

Before Jacob could make sense of her reply, she grabbed two fistfuls of his hair and kissed him again. This time it took longer for him to pull away.

"Why are you pulling away from me, Jacob?" she asked in confusion.

"Bella, you're acting strange! I just… I'm not… I don't know!" Jacob was flustered. After all the times he imagined this exact scenario, he couldn't believe he was trying to stop it from happening. Something just felt... _different._

"Jake, please, I want to be with you. Don't you want me anymore?" Bella looked at him woefully, and Jacob groaned.

"Yes, of course I still want you! Jeez, Bella, all I _ever_ want is you! I just want to make sure this is right. Know what I mean?" He looked in her eyes again trying to find answers there, he found nothing, but decided he didn't care anymore and bent his head to kiss her. After a moment, Jacob picked Bella up and carried her to his bedroom.

Bella had a moment of déjà vu as she was lowered onto the bed even though the man she was with now was the polar opposite of the one she'd been with earlier. Soft, warm lips. The sheer size of Jacob's body and the _heat_ of him, so different from the cool, hard being she'd held in her arms barely half an hour ago.

_Edward!_ Bella's mind screamed at her. Her heart remained silent.

Ignoring the errant thought, she began to get lost in the sensation of being with Jacob. It was a sort of freedom to be able to do whatever she wanted with him and not have to worry about any possible dangers of being intimate. Bella didn't have to worry about Jacob's super human strength, his razor sharp teeth, pushing him too far, too fast; she could do whatever she wanted. It was exhilarating.

Bella took hold of Jacob's t-shirt and tugged at the hem. He sat up and pulled it off. He lay back down beside her to resume the kiss and pulled her on top of him. Jacob's hands ran down her body from her shoulders to her buttocks. Bella shuddered against him as he cupped them and ground their hips together.

Touching Jacob's bare chest was like getting too close to an open flame; he radiated heat from every surface of his body. Bella broke the kiss so that she could trail her lips down his neck. Jacob sighed as she ran her hands over his skin, her touch feather light. Wanting to feel more of him, Bella straddled him and sat up.

Jacob gently took hold of Bella's hips and watched her as she ran her hands all over him. She had two hectic spots of color high up on her cheekbones; her eyes were heavy-lidded, and she had her lower lip caught between her teeth. She looked even better than he had ever imagined.

Sliding his hands up, he placed them on Bella's waist, just under her shirt. Her skin was soft and silky as he traced mindless patterns over it. She reached down to grasp her shirt and slid it up over her head shaking her hair loose. Bella bent to kiss him again while her thumbs slid over his nipples.

Jacob groaned, Bella touching him like this was a sensuous torture. He grabbed hold of her and rolled over so that he lay between her legs. He kissed along her jaw and down her throat. He slipped the strap of her bra down over her right shoulder and moved his lips there and then doing the same thing to the other side. Bella had her hands in his hair, moaning softly.

Jacob brushed his lips over the slopes of her breasts. He cupped them lightly and Bella arched her back to push into his hands. His mouth pressed on the spot directly between her breasts before moving down to her stomach. Jacob ran one hand down her side from her ribcage to her knee and back up again.

Bella felt languorous and heavy limbed. Everything was slow yet sweet. There was no rush or sense of urgency unlike the times with Edward.

_Edward!_ Bella's body cried out. Her heart clenched.

Bella's eyes snapped open as she drew in a hiss of breath. _Edward_. What the hell was she doing? She looked down at Jacob kissing her stomach tenderly and was revolted with herself.

"Wait…" she said breathlessly. "Jacob, stop. Please, stop!" The note of panic in her voice made Jacob look up sharply.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he said, confusion marring his features. Once again she felt the sickening spiral of déjà vu.

"I don't _know_!" Bella cried out in horror.

"What do you mean? Are you sick?" Jacob sat up and examined at her closely. She looked as if she was going to be violently ill.

The almost verbatim repetition of her earlier conversation with Edward had her mind reeling. What had she done? What had she said to him? _Why_ had she said those things to him?

"Something is wrong," she whispered looking at Jacob fearfully.

"What? What's wrong?" Jacob replied angrily.

"I don't know!" she yelled at him. "I don't _know_!! Oh god, what have I done?" Bella put her face in her hands and burst into tears. "This is not right; something is not right!"

Jacob didn't know what to do. Everything had been going so well, and now it was all ruined. He tried reaching for Bella to try and comfort her, but she pushed him away roughly. She stumbled to her feet and grabbed her discarded shirt, pulling it on savagely.

"Bella, what are you doing? Where are you going?" Jacob was still trying to figure out how everything changed so suddenly. He ran after Bella as she grappled with the door to get outside. He shot out a long arm to keep the door shut.

Bella turned to him.

"Let me go, Jake!" she said hysterically, trying to push him out of the way and yank on the door simultaneously.

"No! Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!" he shouted, "First you show up here without warning, _reeking_ of vampire. Then you throw yourself at me--not that I minded that part--and out of nowhere, you tell me to stop and start freaking out!

"Bella, what the _fuck_?" Jacob's hands were trembling he looked completely outraged.

At the word 'vampire' something in Bella clicked.

"The _newborn_," she whispered, her eyes growing large as saucers. She remembered the conversation she was having with Edward and Alice before her world became unhinged, how neither of their powers worked on the girl. But what about her power over them? They had no idea if she had any latent gifts. What if this was all Bree's doing?

"Jake, I have to go. I'm sorry, really I am, but something bad is happening, and I have to figure out what that is." The words rushed out of her. "I'll explain everything to you later. Please, you have to let me go!" The desperation in her voice triggered something in Jacob and he stepped back from the door.

Bella pulled on the handle and staggered to her truck. Once again, she was running away from someone, but where was she running to? She briefly considered driving back to the Cullen's but decided that was a bad idea. Without knowing what the newborn was capable of, she may be putting all the people she loved in danger.

She decided to drive home and call Edward. She would beg his forgiveness, invite him over, and tell him about her suspicions. Bella prayed he would hear her out, and then they could decide what to do together.

When she arrived at her house, she called Edward right away. No answer. She then tried Alice, but there was no answer on her phone either. She left urgent messages on both phones begging for them to call her back.

That night, no one returned her calls. She sat by her bedroom window with tears streaming down her face praying that Edward would come, but he never did. Finally, exhausted from crying, she slumped to the floor and fell asleep.

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**Ack! This chapter was hard to write too! I know you die hard BxE fans must have just been cringing through this whole thing! lol... Review and let me know how you feel about the story so far!**


	12. Smooth Operator

**A/N: This one is for itsbetterwithjam... hope I didn't disappoint ;))  
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**Twilight does not belong to me**

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Edward ran.

Not since the early days with Bella when he tried to stay away from her for her own good had he done this. He pushed himself as fast and as hard as he could go, trying to outrun what had just happened. Despite how fast he ran, he couldn't stop hearing her voice in his head.

_I don't think I want to live this life anymore, Edward. I think Jacob and I are meant to be together._

Edward screamed in agony, "_No!_" He halted abruptly and slammed his fist into a tree that promptly split in half. His anger merely intensified as he decimated what was left of the trunk.

He stopped and, looking around at the destruction left in his wake, fell to his knees. This was why she left; this was why she chose Jacob. Who could ever want a monster like him? Something that was able to wreak havoc in a matter of seconds?

As if the world felt the need to agree with him, the sun broke through the clouds and filtered into the small clearing he had inadvertently created. Edward looked down at his cold, hard hands, full of revulsion. He watched as the sunbeams reflected off his skin throwing rainbows onto his clothing and the mossy floor.

"Gone," Edward moaned, placing his hands flat on the ground and laying his forehead between them. "She's gone," he whispered into the fecund earth. His body shook with the tearless sobs, wracking his body. He curled up in a ball and let the grief have at him.

Some time passed before the voices of his family shattered the quiet. Edward heard them in his mind first and sat up. He didn't want to see or talk to anyone. Knowing he only had a few minutes of time, he got up and made a loop around them and headed back home. If they were busy looking for him then he could sneak in and leave a note letting them know he was leaving. He couldn't stay in Forks; the temptation of Bella would be too hard to resist.

He hoped by the time they realized what happened, he would be long gone.

~*~*~*~*~

It took a few moments of stunned silence before the Cullens were spurred into action. Esme went to Alice who sat sobbing by the bed, put her arms around her, and cradled the girl back and forth. Carlisle looked at his sons with a resolute expression.

"We must find Edward before he does anything rash. There must have been some misunderstanding." Emmett and Jasper nodded their heads in agreement.

Carlisle walked into the bedroom and kneeled by the women. He stroked Alice's hair.

"Alice," he said softly. When she looked up at him he continued. "Alice we need you to come with us. We need to know what he is planning to do."

"Okay, Carlisle," Alice said in a broken voice.

"Rosalie and Esme you should stay with Bree in case Edward returns before we can find him," he said quickly before getting up and turning back towards the hallway. "Alright, let's go." He ran down the stairs with the rest of his family in pursuit.

Esme stayed kneeling on the floor watching after them. Rosalie entered the room and put her arms around her mother.

"It will be fine," she said to Esme. "They will find him."

Bree stayed perfectly still, the wheels in her mind were turning. She had been so focused on driving Bella and Edward apart that she hadn't given much thought to how Edward would react when it happened. More so, she hadn't expected to see the absolute panic and terror swirling from the Cullens when he stormed out of the house.

"I don't understand," Bree said, vocalizing her thoughts. "Won't Edward just come back once he calms down?" She looked at the women expectantly.

Rosalie gave her a level glance. "We aren't sure what he'll do," she said in a clipped voice. "Last year we thought Bella had died, and he flew to Italy to ask the Volturi to kill him. Luckily, we were able to save him before they took him up on the offer."

"Not _we_, Rosalie. _Bella_ saved him," Esme said quietly. She looked up at Bree. "When she found out that he had planned to kill himself, she got on a plane to Italy with Alice to try and stop him."

Bree frowned. "So you are worried he will do something like that again?"

"We aren't sure. All I know is that he won't take this well. Most likely, he will want to leave here." Esme sighed unhappily.

"And you're just going to let him go?" Bree asked incredulously.

"Well, what do you expect us to do?" Rosalie hissed at her. "Of course we'll try to convince him to stay, but I doubt Edward will listen to reason. He'll go off for a couple of years and then hopefully come back to us."

"Rosalie!" Esme reproached her.

"What? It's not like we can stay in Forks for much longer _anyway_," Rosalie grumbled.

Bree listened to all of this with a growing sense of dismay. Leave? No, he couldn't leave! How would she ever hope to find him again? She needed him to return so she could convince him they should be together.

Bree turned on her heel and stormed away leaving Esme and Rosalie alone.

~*~*~*~*~

Edward slowed down as he approached the house. He ranged out with his mind and heard Esme and Rosalie, both of them worried about him. He wondered briefly if he should just go get his car and leave but reconsidered. It wouldn't be fair for him not to at least say goodbye.

Slowly, he walked into the house. Both Rosalie and Esme flew down the stairs to him. Esme wrapped her arms around him and murmured to him softly. Edward closed his eyes and pressed his forehead into her shoulder. Before his emotions could get the better of him, he pushed her gently away.

Edward looked at Esme and took her hands. In a gentle voice he said, "You already know what I have to do." Esme's face crumpled as she looked at him.

"No, Edward, please, not again," she whispered. "Talk to Bella first! There must have been a misunderstanding…" Before she could continue Edward cut her off.

"There was no misunderstanding. You didn't see her face. She wants to be with Jacob." He looked down at the floor for a moment trying to get the sound of her voice out of his mind.

"Edward," Rosalie chimed in, "that girl's _life_ revolved around you! You can't imagine she would just leave, do you? Think about this for a moment, please, don't tear our family apart again." It was uncharacteristic for Rosalie to beg but if that is what she had to do, she would do it.

Edward turned to her slowly. "Rosalie, I can't stay here with her so close. I just can't! Please, understand I am not doing this to hurt any of you." He looked at her beseechingly.

"We'll all go!" Esme cried. "Just wait for Carlisle and the others to come back, and we will all leave with you.._.tonight_!"

Edward shook his head sadly. "No, Esme; this is something I need to do on my own. I love you all, but I want to be by myself." With one last embrace, he kissed both of them on the forehead and left to get his car.

When he walked into the garage he wasn't prepared to see Bree standing by the Volvo. Her mind was completely blank to him, and she had a determined look on her face. Edward sighed as he prepared to repeat himself to her as well. Why wouldn't they just let him _leave_? Didn't they know that being alone and heartbroken in a house full of lovers was the worst torture imaginable?

"Take me with you," Bree said quietly.

"What?" Edward said unbelievably, he hadn't expected that at all. Shaking his head, he said, "No."

As he went to brush past Bree, she grasped his arm tightly. "Edward, listen to me. I know you want to be alone but I don't think that is a good idea. I know staying here would hurt you after what happened, that it would make you feel even more isolated, but I am alone, too!

"I also know what it feels like to love and then lose the meaning of your existence. I _understand_ you! Please don't leave me here alone and lonely." As Bree spoke, she slowly stripped Edward of his indecision and determination. She watched his face change and open up to her.

"Get in," he said curtly and pushed the keyless remote to unlock the doors.

Bree rushed around to the passenger side and was in the car before he had a chance to change his mind. Edward got in, started the car, and sped out of the garage. As they raced down the driveway, she saw the rest of the vampires rush out the front door, all with varying expressions on their faces.

When they hit the street, Bree finally relaxed. She knew they wouldn't be pursued. Now she had Edward to herself with no interference from his meddling family to get in her way. His phone began to ring shrilly; before he had a chance to answer it, Bree snatched it from his hand.

"Allow me," she said as she crushed the phone in her hand. Lowering the window, she threw it out of the car.

Soon he would be hers: mind, body and whatever was left of his soul.

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**Come on guys... you KNEW it couldn't have been that _easy_, right?** **Review and let me know just how much you hate me right now! And what about that Bree, she's a smooth operator *cue Sade***


	13. The Truth Is Revealed

**A/N: This one is dedicated to my reg reviewers! You guys are great and I'm thrilled you love the story (despite frustrations in plot line! lol) Thanks again, sincerely ;))**

**Twilight and its universe belong to someone else, no copyright infringement is intended!**

Bella woke up with a crick in her neck from sleeping hunched over on the floor beside her window. Her eyes were red rimmed and swollen. She reached up to rub the sleep from them and grimaced. Her face was stiff from the saltwater of her dried tears.

All the memories from the day before crowded her mind and Bella felt herself tear up again. Edward's face as she told him she didn't want to be with him swam in her mind. Her heart felt like it was withering inside of her chest.

'Well, look on the bright side Swan,' she thought wryly, 'At least you've finally decided whom you want to be with!' she slumped over as a fresh wave of grief washed over her.

After a few moments, she decided she refused to wallow. Edward and Alice may have ignored her calls from the night before but that didn't mean she had to take this lying down. A wave of hysteria bubbled to the surface as she realized that she was actually lying down at the moment.

Bella rolled over slowly and got to her knees. She waggled her head back and forth wincing at the pain in her neck and got to her feet unsteadily. Once she got her wits about her she went to the bathroom to start her shower. She brushed her teeth while waiting for the water to heat up.

She got under the stream of hot water and started thinking of what to do. Her original plan of getting Edward away from the newborn so she could alert him to her suspicions hadn't worked. So if Edward wouldn't come to her, then she would have to go to him, newborn be damned! She trusted that the Cullens would protect her from danger… she hoped.

Upon considering what had happened, an idea started to form. Bella thought perhaps Bree was similar to Jasper in that she could manipulate emotions, so what was to stop her from doing that again while Bella talked to Edward? She would have to get him out of the house but if that didn't work she needed a plan to make sure she didn't inadvertently find herself at Jacob's door trying to seduce him again.

How the hell had Bree done that?? _Bree_. At the thought of her name Bella's lip curled and she felt a stab of hatred.

Bella needed to make sure Edward got the information no matter what happened. She had a moment of inspiration and hurriedly got out of the shower. She wrapped her hair in a towel, threw on some clothes and went to her bedroom. Ripping a sheet from one of her notebooks she wrote Edward a letter apologizing for her behavior explaining what she think happened. She prayed that he would read it even if he tossed her out of his life forever.

When Bella finished dressing, she threw her hair in a ponytail and went downstairs. She ran into Charlie as he exited the kitchen.

"Hey! What's the rush Bells?" he said while eying her critically. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face was pale and she had a wild look about her eyes.

"Can't talk dad, gotta go!" she tried to rush past him but he grabbed her elbow and turned her around.

"Bella, is everything ok? You look like a mess! It's 7am for goodness sake, where do you think you're going so early?" Bella tried to yank her elbow out of Charlie's grasp but he held fast.

"Dad, I'm fine! I have to go see Edward. Could you maybe let go of my arm?" she yanked again futilely. Of all the times for Charlie to get all gung ho super dad, he had to pick now.

"Can it wait a few minutes? Jake called while you were in the shower. He said he needs to talk to you and it's really important." Charlie frowned as he relayed the message.

"I don't have time to call him right now! I'll do it when I get home, ok?" she looked at Charlie pleading.

"Oh jees, are we doing this again? I thought you two made up and were friends again?"

Bella was about to scream in frustration and finally just snapped. "Charlie!" she said forcefully, "I can't do this right now! I have to go!" hearing his daughter refer to him by his Christian name made Charlie jerk back allowing Bella to finally pull from his grasp.

Bella bolted for the door and ran to her truck. She jumped in and got it started. Charlie stood in the doorway looking baffled. Had it been any other time Bella would have burst into laughter at the look on his face. She floored it and for once wished she had a faster vehicle.

In her hurry, she almost missed the cut off. She yanked sharply on her steering wheel in order make the turn and prayed her truck didn't flip over. It felt like forever before she finally rounded the last curve and the big white house came into view. Bella parked and laid her hand on the horn honking it loudly. If that didn't get the vampires' attention, nothing would.

Jasper, Alice and Emmett rushed out first followed closely by Esme and Carlisle. Rosalie came out last. Where was Edward? Panic assaulted her. This was bad, this was very bad. She fought down her irrational terror and exited the truck.

Alice was at her side in a moment and she looked furious. Bella took an involuntary step back away from her. She had never seen such a terrible look on her friend's face before.

"How could you?" Alice spat at her. Bella knew that she deserved her ire but before Alice could continue she interrupted her. "The newborn! Where is she?" Bella asked frantically.

Alice stopped short and eyed Bella before answering simply, "She's gone."

Bella's breath rushed out in a huff. Edward must have gotten her message and kicked the girl out. "Oh good!" she said, feeling relieved.

"Alice, I'm sorry, but I have to go talk to Edward." The look on Alice's face made Bella pause. "What, what is it?" suddenly her panic was back in full force. Had Edward approached the girl on his own? Had he been hurt?

Bella grasped her friend by the shoulders, "Where is Edward? Is he ok?"

"Bella," Alice whispered, "He's gone too. They left together. At first we didn't know what had happened so we didn't pursue him. It was only later that we discovered her disappearance and her scent led to the garage."

"He's gone? With _her_?? Oh no, oh no, no, no, no…" she moaned and pressed her fists against her eyes.

Alice was confused by Bella's reaction to the news and suddenly her fury returned. "Really, Bella, what did you expect him to do after you just tossed him aside? Did you really think he'd stay here and watch you have your happily ever with that _dog_? How could you do that to him? You may as well have let the Volturi kill him last year if you were just going to leave him!" Before she could continue Carlisle came and put a hand on her shoulder.

The Cullens watched as Bella continued to deny what was happening. She was bent at the waist looking as if she may pass out at any moment. Finally she looked up with a mortified expression, "My message. You didn't get it." she whispered.

"What message?" Alice replied icily.

"The _newborn_! Bree! She is behind all of this… Oh god, Edward!" Bella wailed.

Shock crossed all of their faces as this bit of information. Suddenly Jasper strode forward and grasped Bella pulling her upright. "What are you talking about, Bella? What do you know?" he spoke harshly to stop her from completely melting down before they could get any information from her.

"I don't know," she said, looking at him grief stricken. "I can't be sure, but all of the sudden these strange things have been happening since she showed up!" she continued in a numb voice, "Yesterday, everything was fine. Edward and I were on his bed and then out of nowhere I felt like something was wrong. I told him I didn't… want him." Bella choked on the last words.

"Next thing I knew I was at Jacob's and… well… everything snapped back into focus. It was like I had been possessed or something! Like I had no control over what had happened to me. I tried to call Edward and Alice to warn you but neither answered." She finished lamely.

Alice felt at her pockets and realized her phone was gone. In her rush to find Edward she had left it in her room. She was so distraught over what had happened she hadn't retrieved it.

"I think she can manipulate emotions Jasper, sort of like you, but instead of amplifying them she makes them… go away." Jasper hissed violently and turned towards his family.

"But Eleazar would have seen that! He would have warned us…" Carlisle began before being interrupted by Jasper, "No, Carlisle, he never got the chance. They all left in a hurry after Irina lost her temper and stormed off."

"Could that have been Bree's doing as well?" Esme chimed in. Jasper nodded his head as if pieces of a puzzle were coming together. "That would explain why I hadn't felt Irina's anger until it was already on top of us."

"Well, what the hell are we waiting for?" Emmett boomed, "Let's find them! We can't leave Edward with her, who knows what she is capable of?"

Hearing this, Bella started hyperventilating. She sat down hard on the ground and placed her head between her knees. Alice kneeled beside her and put her arm around Bella's shoulders.

"One person will know exactly what she is capable of." Carlisle said quickly, "We must contact Eleazar even if that means going to Denali ourselves to get answers." He turned and strode towards the house followed by most of his family.

Alice remained on the ground with Bella comforting her. "I'm so sorry, Bella." She said softly, "We didn't know, no one knew! She was able to block us almost right from the start, there was no way we could have known what she was capable of." Her voice was full of remorse.

"You can't see them, can you?" Bella asked. Alice shook her head, no. "As long as he stays with her I can't see him at all." The two girls clutched at each other tightly, silently praying.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Alice and Bella entered the house Carlisle was just finishing his conversation with Eleazar. Miraculously, Tanya picked up the phone when he mentioned that Edward might be in danger. Irina may still be upset with them but none of the Denali wished harm on his family.

Carlisle turned to look at everyone, "This is worse than I expected." He said grimly, "Bree is what they call an emotional siphon. Bella, you were right, she has the power to strip someone of their emotions and manipulate what they feel."

"This is my fault," she whispered, "If I hadn't been confused about my feelings for Jacob, none of this would have happened."

"I'm not so sure about that Bella." Carlisle said, "For some reason she attached herself to Edward and we can't be sure that if this plan hadn't worked, that she wouldn't have tried other avenues to get to him." He looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"What do we do now?" she whispered, disheartened.

"I don't know." Carlisle replied, "Unless Edward gets in touch with us we have no way of contacting him. Even if we did, how could we be certain that Bree won't manipulate his emotions so that he doesn't believe us?" he rubbed his eyes with one hand realizing the magnitude of the situation.

"There has to be some way to find them Carlisle!" Emmett said angrily. He hated sitting around feeling useless.

"Emmett, running off half cocked isn't going to help the situation." Rosalie snapped, "Maybe he will go to the Denali?"

"I hope so, at least they are apprised of the situation and could detain them both until we had a chance to get to Edward and deal with Bree." Carlisle turned away from everyone. "If this is anyone's fault, it is mine. I should have never stepped in to save the girl."

Esme walked up and embraced him from behind, "How were you to know, my love? Never be ashamed because you showed compassion to someone in need. That is what makes you who you are!"

Carlisle patted her hand and said in a low voice, "I _will_ rectify this situation, even if that means destroying the girl myself!"

**Ok guys time to help me with a couple small details. First, where should Bree and Edward go? I was thinking somewhere in Canada (but it doesn't have to be there) it _does _have to be a big city in order to fit into my next plot outline :)) Also when I wrote my original overview i completely forgot to sketch in how the heck the Cullens find Edward and Bree! So here's your chance my wonderful readers... i need ideas! either review or PM me and whoever's idea I choose will get props in my A/N (not to mention i'll be eternally grateful!)**


	14. Defenseless

**I don't own Twilight but Bree's story is mine :))**

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Edward headed north until they were on the northeastern outskirts of Vancouver. The drive hadn't been as unpleasant as he had expected. Whenever he felt as if his emotions would get the better of him, he was able to get a hold of them, and soon they disappeared altogether. Edward wasn't sure how he was managing; he remembered the last time when he had left Bella, the anguish tore him up inside every minute he was away from her.

As the scenery flashed by, he thought about the girl next to him. Edward was still surprised he had even agreed to bring Bree along. She had looked so young and vulnerable, he hadn't been able to say no. He also knew what it felt like to be alone in a house full of perfectly matched couples. It was fine when you didn't know what you were missing, but if the love of your existence was lost to you, then it just became a personal hell.

Bree felt Edward's sorrow start to peak again, and she siphoned it out of him. She had been manipulating his emotions during the entire trip. This was all a part of her plan; soon she would have him thinking he didn't need Bella after all. She would force him to realize that he could survive without the human.

Unfortunately, the vivid pink ribbon of love remained intact and was unmovable as ever. No matter how hard Bree tried to exert her power, it would not budge. She cursed inwardly. Most likely, it was just too soon, and hopefully once she had him away from Bella for a bit of time, she could remove it forever.

Unexpectedly Edward turned onto a small path off the road.

"Where are we?" Bree asked.

"We're just north of Vancouver near Cypress Provincial Park. We have a cabin here for our extended hunting trips in the area," he said easily as he drove down a winding rutted path. "I thought we would come here first to relax and then decide what to do afterwards."

"Oh," Bree said happily.

The thought of her and Edward spending time together in a cozy little cottage appealed to her. Bree should have known the Cullen's idea of a "cabin" would be a four bedroom, two story, log house. It was decorated differently than the home in Forks but still very lavish in an understated way. The color palette was dark, earthy hues and warm, rich fabrics. The complete back of the house was also a glass wall, and Bree suspected a trend.

Edward had gone to sit on one of the plush sofas, waiting for Bree to finish the survey of her surroundings. He was still intrigued that he couldn't read her mind and pondered briefly why her thoughts were always reflected in color. It made her unique, as he had never encountered anyone like her. The only person whose thoughts had evaded him until now was Bella.

Feeling the familiar stab of pain at the thought of her, Edward leaned forward so that his head was in his hands. He took a few deep breaths and then gradually the feeling passed. He wondered briefly if it was easier this time since he knew that she loved Jacob and that he would take care of her?

Edward's mind recoiled from the unsolicited images now swirling in his head. Where was Bella now? Was she with Jacob? In his arms, in his bed? Was he kissing and caressing her? He could see them plainly in his mind's eye, a writhing mass of limbs. Jacob's lips on Bella's neck, moving lower…

Just as he was about to race to his car and drive back to Forks Bree called his name.

"Edward, I'm getting thirsty. Anything good to eat around here?" She smiled at him shyly, and he could feel the jealousy ebb away gradually. He was immensely thankful for the distraction.

"Right, yes. Actually, there is quite a lot of wildlife in this area, which is why we come here. I was really hoping that we'd find some black bears. How does that sound?" Edward's lips curled up in a small smile.

"Sounds as good as anything _not_ human, I guess," she mumbled.

This time, Edward laughed whole-heartedly. The sound was rich and inviting. Bree watched him in fascination as he threw his head back. She wanted nothing more than to walk over to him and kiss the white expanse of his neck. The time was not right, but it didn't stop her from wanting him badly.

Edward hung his head, shaking it back and forth slowly, still chuckling. "Yes, it definitely takes some getting used to. Nothing really rivals human blood; however, you should find the carnivores a bit more to your liking."

Bree raised an eyebrow. "How would you know? I thought your family never drank human blood." She watched him closely as a wary expression crossed his face.

"It's true that when Carlisle made us, he wanted everyone to stick to animal blood, but of course there have been some 'accidents'," he said slowly. "Also, Alice and Jasper came to us on their own, so they lived a different lifestyle prior to joining the family."

"How many 'accidents' have _you_ had?" Bree asked him, intrigued. Now she noticed that he seemed distinctly uncomfortable.

"Well, in my case, they were more or less intentional." Edward turned from her and walked towards the glass wall facing a small river.

"Oh."

"It was a long time ago. I wasn't entirely sold on the life Carlisle had carved out for us, so I left on my own." His voice still remained soft.

"What made you return?" she asked, matching his tone so that he would continue talking.

"I think you know that I can read minds?" He saw her nod in the reflection of the glass wall. "It became increasingly more difficult to hear the thoughts of my prey. I had turned into more of a monster than the trash I was killing."

"So you killed... criminals?" Her voice had become speculative as a thought entered her mind.

"Murderers and rapists generally. I justified it to myself saying that I was actually saving more lives than I was eradicating." Edward sensed the disgust creeping into his voice and took a deep breath.

Bree walked up behind him and touched his arm briefly. "You were right, Edward." He jerked his arm away from her.

"It doesn't matter, Bree! At the end of the day, I was no better than they were." His lips were pressed tightly together, and he ran his hands through his already tousled hair.

"Anyway, I thought you wanted to go hunting?" He turned and gave her a small smile indicating the conversation was over.

"Okay, let's go." Bree smiled brightly at him and turned towards the door.

"Thank you," she heard him say quietly from behind her.

"For what?"

"For listening, for caring… for keeping me company. I guess I didn't really want to be alone after all." Edward looked down at the floor as he said this.

Hoping this time he wouldn't push her away, she walked forward and placed a hand on his cheek gently. After a moment, he raised his eyes to hers, and she was struck by how magnificent he was. He gazed at her for a moment, and it was both the longest and shortest moment of her existence.

"No, thank you for bringing me with you." The moment broken, she reached for his hand and said, "Now let's go find us some bears!"

He smiled at her widely and squeezed her hand as they ran off into the night.

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That week passed in a similar fashion. They would sit and talk and then end the night running through the forest either for fun or sustenance. Bree was slowly getting Edward to trust her. She still had her hands full trying to keep his emotions for Bella in check however, which became frustrating. She just did not understand the hold that girl held for Edward.

One night, she just couldn't keep her careful composure, and she sat very close to him on the sofa. When Edward shifted over slightly, she shifted as well, placing her head on his shoulder.

Edward stiffened slightly before saying, "Bree…"

"Yes, Edward?" She looked up at him demurely through her lashes and blinked solemnly.

"This isn't right. I have nothing to offer you, I'm sorry." His voice was mournful and sad.

"That's not true, Edward!" Bree said vehemently. "You have everything to offer me if only you would just let go of that silly human who holds your heart!" When he winced at her words, she felt a moment of remorse but pushed on.

"She is gone, Edward! _She_ left _you_… How stupid could she be? Especially for that filthy mutt." She sneered as she thought of the wolves. "What are you holding on to exactly? A memory, that's all. She isn't coming back to you."

Edward had gotten to his feet and stalked away from Bree. Her words hit him like physical blows. Not able to stand it any longer, he wheeled back towards her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her off the sofa.

"Shut up! Just shut up! You don't know her… I was a fool, I never should have let her leave!" he screamed in Bree's face. "I should have gone after her…"

"She is not right for you!" Bree screamed back at him. "She is _human_! You need to be with your own kind instead of pining away for a weak mortal who could never love you with the same kind of passion.

"You need to be with _me_." She growled as she launched herself at him.

Unable to read her mind, Edward wasn't able to stop Bree as her lips crushed against his. Her arms wrapped around him. She was still a strong newborn, and he had difficulty forcing her away from him. Undeterred by this, she used her strength to push him towards the sofa until his knees buckled, forcing him to sit. Before he had a chance to fight, Bree straddled him. She wound her hands in Edward's hair and kissed him again.

Edward was still not responding. Bree had wanted him to come to her on his own terms, but it looked like he was going to need some help. She took away his will to fight. Finally his arms came up around her and he returned the kiss.

~*~*~*~*~

_I don't think I want to live this life anymore, Edward. I think Jacob and I are meant to be together._

Those words rang through Edward's head as he finally gave up fighting against Bree. She had been right, what was he holding on to? His memories wouldn't keep him company on lonely nights, wouldn't whisper his name, wouldn't tenderly kiss or caress him. His memories only served to haunt him.

Bella had found solace elsewhere and so would he. It didn't feel completely right to him; he still felt like he was betraying Bella. He tried to bury the feeling in the new surge of sensation that he was experiencing.

Having only ever kissed a mortal, he had no other frame of reference. Edward had become accustomed to little things like making sure his teeth never came in contact with any part of Bella. He was used to the soft, warm yield of her lips molding to his. He knew that he had to keep his strength in check at all times.

When kissing Bree, none of that applied.

Edward's teeth clashed against hers as their tongues met and wound together. One arm was wrapped with full force around her waist while his other hand grasped at the back of Bree's head. She still had her hands buried in his hair and was pulling on it viciously.

It came as a surprise to Edward that he would enjoy the rougher aspects of being intimate with a woman. He found himself being spurred on by Bree as she tugged, bit, and clawed at him. Soon he found himself replying in kind as he fully realized he no longer needed to be careful.

The kiss was becoming incredibly intense, and he felt a familiar throbbing in his lower extremities. Bree situated right on top of his emerging erection could feel it too. Edward felt her hips jerk against him in response, and he groaned deeply. He took a hold of her hips and pulled her closer, feeling her slide up against his shaft.

"I want to feel you," Bree said against his lips.

She tore the front of his shirt open and ran her hands over his chest. Grabbing his nipples, she pinched them between her thumb and fingers. Edward hissed out a breath and jerked his hips up under her. Before he knew what was happening, she had slid off him and was kneeling between his legs. Her tongue was flicking at his already sensitive nipples as she raked her nails down his ribcage.

Edward threw his head back against the sofa, his hands fisted at his sides. All these new sensations were driving him over the edge. He felt Bree's hands at the waistband of his pants as she licked and nipped all the way down his stomach. His pants were undone, and he was throbbing in her hand.

When she brought him into her mouth, he gasped aloud. He fought the urge to grab Bree's head and push himself deeper. He had a fleeting moment of guilt as he wished it were Bella's mouth sliding up and down his length. The guilt intensified for a moment, and just as he was about to push Bree away, it began to fade.

Edward felt the heat growing in the pit of his stomach as Bree expertly licked and sucked him. She took hold of the base of his shaft and started to move her mouth and hand in tandem. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he started convulsing. Spasms rocked his body as he climaxed and grunted unintelligibly.

When Edward came down from his high Bree was looking at him with her disconcerting scarlet eyes and cocked her head to the side.

"Did your _human_ ever do that for you?" she asked coyly.

Edward shook his head mutely.

"Good," she replied. "Now you have a completely new memory not associated with _her_."

Bree stood up and placed a light kiss on his lips. She sauntered out of the room leaving him on the couch in a state of undress.

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***covers eyes* come on, it HAD to happen!! heh... Review your love/hate for this chapter please!**


	15. The Visitor

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Really, you don't know how much I appreciate them. **

**Twilight belongs to SM… that lucky so and so!**

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Bella hung up the phone and burst into tears. There was still no news from Edward. Carlisle was beginning to sound distraught. They weren't sure how to proceed. Finding Edward and Bree was the equivalent of finding one specific grain of sand on a beach. Where would you start to look for a vampire who had access to riches beyond belief?

Despite the fact Carlisle had alerted all their accounts to advise of any activity, there had been none. He checked their multiple credit card statements online and again came up empty. That wasn't necessarily strange, considering there were large amounts of money spread all over the house in case of an emergency; however, Esme had been positive Edward walked in, said goodbye, and left. That led them to believe he hadn't taken any money from their various emergency funds.

_So_ _where_ _were they_? Somewhere where money wasn't necessary, obviously. Being vampires, that still didn't narrow down the choices very much. Edward may have ditched the car, and they could have taken to the water to avoid needing passports or other type of documentation. Carlisle didn't think that was what had happened. It wasn't Edward's style to discomfort himself in such a manner.

Bella sighed and got up from the kitchen table. She was happy Charlie wasn't home; of course, he was irate over Edward's disappearing act. It was just one more nail in the coffin of their relationship as far as he was concerned, and he had been more than vocal about it.

They'd had many arguments lately. Bella had tried to take the blame this time, but Charlie wouldn't hear of it. Words like _coward_ and _chicken shit_ had flown around. She wasn't sure how they would rectify this once Edward returned. _If _Edward returned.

Tears pooled in Bella's eyes slowly flowing down her face. She was trying to keep herself from falling apart, knowing it would help no one. Every day, she would go over to the Cullen's home to see what she could do to aid in any ideas to find Edward and the newborn.

Bella got up from the table. She headed to the stairs to take a shower and prepare for her daily visit. As she passed into the hallway, she saw a tall shape against her door. She let out a small scream and ran, pulling it open.

Even though she knew it was doubtful that it would be Edward standing there, she couldn't help the disappointment she felt at seeing Jacob on her porch. Her face fell, and she tried to keep from crying again.

"Jesus, Bells, you look horrible!" Jacob remarked as he walked past her into the house. Bella's shoulders slumped, and she trudged behind him after closing the door quietly.

"Jake," she began, "I'm sorry I didn't call…" she said looking at the floor.

"It's okay, Bella," he interrupted her. "I'm not mad at you." Jacob flashed her a bright smile before sitting down on the couch.

"You're not mad that I've ignored you for almost two weeks? After what… er… happened?" Bella looked at Jacob dumbfounded. It only increased when he burst out laughing at her expression.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, but the look on your face is hilarious!" He doubled up on the couch laughing even louder.

Bella watched him and wondered briefly if he had lost his ever-loving mind. Ignoring the urge to beat him senseless, she huffed over to the armchair and sat down. She had been dreading seeing Jacob since the day she had tried to seduce him. Bella had been evading his calls because she was completely ashamed of what had happened. She was very confused by Jacob's reaction today.

"Jacob," she said sternly, "as much as I would love to sit here all day and watch you laugh at me, I have things to do!" He sat up, wiping tears from his eyes and hiccupping.

"Sorry, Bells. Honest." He smiled at her genuinely. "So what's going on? Off to visit the bloodsucker?"

Although Bella had been happy to have some respite from her misery, this brought everything back to her. She could not stop the overflow of tears. Jacob looked at her with growing horror and got down on his knees in front of her.

"Bella! What's wrong?" He wanted to put his arms around her but thought better of it and patted her on the knee instead.

"It's Edward," she whispered. "He's missing." The words choked out of her, and she covered her face with her hands.

"Missing? What do you mean, missing?"

Bella told him everything. She told him about what had happened to her the day she had come to his house, why she had left so abruptly, her growing suspicions about the newborn, about going to the Cullens the next day to find out Edward and Bree had left together and how now, no one knew where they were.

Jacob stayed on his knees in front of her, his face a blank mask. Finally, he took her in his arms and let her sob against his chest. Had this been a week ago, he would have been secretly rejoicing at the disappearance of the leech so he could be with Bella, but now things were different.

Jacob met Jared's cousin, Alexandra. She had just finished her courses at NYU and had come home for the summer. Due to her living so far away, she had opted to work in New York during her summers off so she could make extra money and fast-track through school.

He remembered clearly the night they met. He had received calls from the pack asking him to come to the bonfire they had planned on the beach. Jacob had initially refused because he was still upset over Bella. When Quil and Embry showed up at his door and forced him out of the house, he had had no choice but to comply.

Sitting by the fire, Jacob had been thankful for the charade he had to keep up. He still had his arm and leg in a brace and crutches by his side. Normal people just didn't heal from a 'motorcycle accident' after a couple of weeks. Pretending as if he were still injured saved him from having to socialize, so he just watched the blue and green flames licking across the driftwood, lost in his thoughts.

Alexandra came up to him to offer him a plate of food, and that was all it took. The sun was just about to set and framed her in a golden glow. She had long, straight hair that hung down her back in a black sheet. Her skin was as dark as his, which threw into contrast a startling pair of steel gray eyes.

It was when he looked into those eyes that the world fell away. He felt as if what held him to the earth was no longer gravity, but this woman who stood in front of him. Jacob stood up--a little too easily considering he was supposed to have a broken leg -- and reached out to touch the girl's face. Alexandra looked at him, shocked at the intensity of his stare and the heat of his hand. Normally, had any other man tried to touch her, she would have pulled away, but Jacob's impassioned gaze held her still.

Suddenly, his pack brothers flanked him while Emily and Kim took Alexandra away with them. She returned to him shortly after, too long, in Jacob's opinion, and took a seat by his side. They had been inseparable since then. He had come today to let Bella know that she no longer needed to feel torn in two.

Jacob realized Bella had stopped crying and was just leaning against his chest. He gave her one final squeeze before letting go. Jacob sat back on his heels and gazed at his friend. He still loved Bella, not like before of course, but he hated to see her hurting.

"Is there anything we can do?" He automatically slipped into pack plural.

Bella looked at him, shock crossing her features. "You want to… _help_… find him? Two weeks ago you wanted him dead!" she said incredulously and was even more flabbergasted when Jacob gave her a sweet smile.

"Umm, that's kind of why I'm here, Bells. I need to tell you something," he said, a flush creeping up his face.

"Holy crow! Jacob Black, you imprinted!" Bella screeched. She watched his face become even redder and felt a pang of sympathy. A blush that strong had to be painful, she ought to know.

"Man, I feel bad now that I know about, well you know..." He sighed deeply. "I just wanted to tell you that you didn't have to worry about me anymore, that it's okay now that we both…" he trailed off sheepishly.

"Ah jeez, Bells, I'm sorry!" he said sadly as Bella's eyes filled with tears again.

"It's okay," she said in a broken voice, "I'm happy for you, Jake, really I am. You deserve to be happy!"

"And you don't?" Jacob asked sternly. He took her shoulders and gave her a shake. "Edward loves you. This leech he's with may be able to influence him a little, but I don't think she could take away his love for you."

"No one knows how powerful she is. And now Edward thinks I don't love him anymore." Her breath hitched as she fought a fresh onslaught of sobbing.

"Bella, you remember that night in the tent, before the fight?" She winced and nodded.

"Well, after you fell asleep, Edward and I talked. I was trying to convince him to leave you so I could have a chance to make you happy…"

"Jake!" Bella reached out and smacked his arm. "How could you do that?"

"Just listen!" he shot back at her. "Anyway, he said that if you ever did leave him for me that he still wouldn't give up. He said that he'd watch to make sure I never left you. And if I did, he'd come back for you." Jacob looked at her meaningfully.

Bella looked at him and sniffled. "He said that?"

"Yes."

"But in that scenario, there wasn't an emotion-stealing bitch in the picture!" she seethed.

Jacob laughed. "I never thought I'd stick up for the bloodsucker, but I know no one could steal away my love for Lexi, so I'm sure that she can't steal Edward's love away either."

"Thanks, Jake," Bella said. "How did I ever deserve a good friend like you?" She reached out to touch his cheek.

"I dunno, maybe you were a saint in your previous life or something." He started laughing again, and Bella gave him a sad smile.

"Yeah, maybe," she replied. Jacob leaned forward and kissed her forehead before standing up.

"So what's the plan? What's going on?" he asked as he sat on the couch.

"Well, I was just heading up to get ready to go to the Cullens and see if there is anything I can do to help," Bella sighed.

"Okay, I'm taking off. Call me if you need us to do anything. I mean that, Bella, anything."

"Thanks, Jake, I'll tell Carlisle you said that." She walked Jacob to the door. He turned to give her a bone-crushing hug before leaving.

Bella watched him leave. Once he was out of sight she turned towards the stairs to go get ready. She pondered the things Jacob said to her and prayed he had been right. Somehow, the thought that Bree couldn't steal Edward's love for her, made her feel better, even if it was just a vain hope.

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**This chapter wasn't quite as riveting but necessary to move the story along... I hope my Jacob lovers are happy! I know imprinting him seems like such a cop out but you have to believe me when I say I REALLY want him to be happy (and not in a skeezy pervo way by imprinting on a baby!) but Bella is just not meant for him... at least not in this story :)) I hope you like it! Please review!**


	16. To Track Or Not?

**A/N: I'm so happy about the imprinting replies. It makes me happy you all love Jacob so much! This is also a shout out to LC24 and MissPumpkinHead for the stolen car and tracker ideas. I didn't use them exactly as you suggested but I wanted to give credit anyway ;))**

**Twilight and its characters are not mine…**

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Carlisle was beginning to dread the daily calls from Bella. He loved her like a daughter, and it hurt his heart to hear her continuous disappointment at the lack of news. Unfortunately, they were at a loss as to what to do next.

Things were beginning to look desperate. They debated hiring a tracker, but since Edward and Bree had departed in a car, there was no discernable scent to follow. Carlisle had even considered contacting the Volturi to see if perhaps Demetri could be hired to find the missing pair. Since he focused on the tenor of a vampire's mind, instead of their scent, he would be the most logical choice.

Carlisle wanted to avoid that route for several reasons. First, he would have to admit not being able to control the newborn he had adopted. Second, he would have to agree that destroying her would have been the best course of action. Most importantly, though, he knew he might put Bella in mortal danger. If the Volturi knew that she and Edward were no longer together, they would assume that she would not be changed, which would make her a liability to their secret world.

Alice had been trying to focus on either Edward or Bree to try and get some sort of vision of where they could be but nothing came. All she saw were disturbing flickers, scenes moving too rapidly to get a lock on them. It had exhausted her to try so hard, and she lay on one of the sofas with her head in Jasper's lap.

Emmett paced back and forth. It had been almost three weeks since Edward had disappeared, and he had a hard time accepting the fact that there was nothing they could do. He was all for rushing off and searching high and low until it was pointed out to him that they had no idea where to start looking. Emmett never realized before just how much stock he had placed in his siblings' powers before. To be without Alice's power was to blind them all.

For the most part, the family sat still as statues, inert from the stress. No one enjoyed the times Edward was away from the family, but this was just so much worse. On his other departures, he wasn't in any particular danger, and they knew eventually he would come back to them. This time, however, he had no idea that he was with someone who could be a fatal threat to him. Had Bree's intentions been any good, she would not have kept them hidden and then absconded with Edward at the first opportunity.

Some time passed, and they heard Bella's truck pull onto the road leading to their home. She walked into the house and looked at the vampires seated around the room. From their expressions, she understood there had been no news since her conversation with Carlisle earlier that morning. Bella had known there wouldn't be but held onto hope nonetheless.

"Still nothing?" she asked Carlisle. He shook his head no.

"Carlisle, what are we going to do? Is there even anything we _can_ do?" Bella implored. She was disheartened by the look on Carlisle's face. Feeling the need to sit before her knees gave out, she went to one of the armchairs and perched on the edge.

Carlisle hesitated momentarily. "I wanted to avoid this, but there may be one thing we can do." He watched as his family came to attention around him but didn't continue.

"What?" Emmett finally said impatiently.

"We can contact the Volturi." Carlisle grimaced at the multiple sharp gasps. "Perhaps they could loan out Demetri to help us find Edward."

Bella looked at him and asked, "What are we waiting for? Why haven't you contacted them yet?"

Carlisle exhaled slowly. "Bella, if the Volturi come here and realize you and Edward aren't together, they may want you killed immediately." He watched as her face drained of any vestige of color. "Not to mention we may have to suffer some consequences for offering to take care of Bree and then having her disappear," he finished quietly.

"Oh."

The room remained silent for a moment as everyone contemplated the repercussions of such an action.

"Carlisle," Bella said, "if this is mostly about me, I just want to let you know, I don't care." Carlisle opened his mouth to respond, but she rushed on quickly. "You have to save him, Carlisle! If that means using the Volturi, then do it!"

"Bella, it wouldn't be right to sacrifice you in order to find Edward." Carlisle frowned at her. He was anxious--absolutely--but he couldn't forfeit one life for another.

"Carlisle is right, Bella." Esme came and put her arm around Bella. "That will have to be our last alternative."

"But there haven't been any _other_ alternatives, Esme!" Bella replied tersely. "The things we've done so far haven't been working!"

Carlisle's mouth compressed into a hard line. He knew Bella was right but still couldn't find it in him to make the call.

"This is what we will do," he said finally. "We will wait one more week. If there is still no word from Edward, I will contact the Volturi."

"One more _week_?" Bella's voice was beginning to sound frantic. Jasper used his power to calm her and she scowled at him. He put up his shoulder in a semi-shrug and gave her a small smile.

"I know it seems like a very long time to you," Carlisle said gently, "but that is my decision. One week from today, we will call the Volturi."

The note in his voice stopped any more protestations she planned to make. Bella knew this was going to be one very long week.

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**Once again, thank you so much for reading and replying! You guys are awesome... this chapter was a little slow but never fear, action is a coming! Would love to hear from you! Esp the you's who haven't replied yet ;))**


	17. Crimson

**A/N: This chapter is very OOC so I just want you all to be prepared. It also has some disturbing imagery. This is your official warning! **

**Twilight does not belong to me… but Bree's story is mine**

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After Edward was left alone, he got dressed hurriedly and left the cabin. He started running through the forest towards the mountains. He scaled the first one he saw and sat down on an outcrop overlooking the vast forest.

The farther Edward ran, the greater his guilt. He was confused, his emotions warring against each other. He should have stopped Bree, and he couldn't understand why he hadn't. He hadn't wanted or expected things to go so far. Images of Bree were burned into his brain, and he stood gripping the sides of his head. _No!_ This wasn't how it was supposed to be!

Edward knew he didn't love Bree--he wasn't even sure if he_ liked_ the girl--so why did she have this power over him? At first, he thought it was because he felt rejected by Bella, but now he was starting to reconsider that theory.

The guilt continued to build, now accompanied by a searing ache. Edward had been trying to keep the pain at bay, but now he let it take over. He started to feel as if he had lost the capacity to feel any type of emotion. At first, he was proud that he had been handling Bella's departure so well, but then it started to worry him. Had something in him snapped? Had he totally disconnected with the frail link to humanity he had forged while with Bella?

Edward allowed himself to think of her. Bella. His beautiful Bella. He thought of the smell of her hair, the shape of her face, her wide chocolate- colored eyes, the smooth curve of her lips as she smiled at him. He felt as if an animal were trying to claw out of his chest, but for the first time since he left, he embraced the feeling.

Images came quicker, drowning out what had happened at the cabin. Bella kissing him. Bella touching his face. Bella blushing furiously. Bella sleeping in his arms. Bella telling him she loved him. Bella softly sighing his name.

Misery overcame Edward finally, yet he rejoiced. His love remained in tact, and he knew that he could not live without Bella. She may have made her choice, but he needed her in his life in order to be whole. He would return to Forks. He would watch to make sure she was safe and loved. There was still hope that Jacob would imprint on someone, and if he did, Edward would be there waiting, no matter how long that may take. He was immortal, after all; he had all the time in the world.

Edward sat on the mountain. He had decided to stay away for the night, but come morning he would tell Bree he had to return to Forks. He knew she would be upset, but his resolve was firm.

~*~*~*~*~

_Edward._

Alice sat bolt upright and clutched her head. She felt Jasper grab her by the shoulders.

"What do you see, Alice?"

Alice moved her head back and forth, her gaze blank as she tried to recognize where Edward sat.

"Edward. He's on a mountain... He must be away from her…" Her words tumbled out quickly. "He looks upset but otherwise unhurt."

"Do you recognize where he is, Alice?" Carlisle asked urgently.

"No," she moaned. She closed her eyes searching frantically for anything more, but the vision faded. "He's gone," Alice said quietly.

"At least now we have a geographical reference," Jasper said. He handed Alice some paper and pencils. "Draw what you saw, maybe one of us will recognize the area."

Alice nodded, took the offered objects, and began to sketch with quick sure strokes as her family surrounded her.

~*~*~*~*~

The next day, Edward returned to the cabin. When he walked in the door, he was assaulted by the scent of _human_. He became cautious as he explored further. Why would there be a human in his home?

As he rounded the corner, he saw Bree standing there, perfectly still. She had been waiting for him.

"What have you_ done_?" Edward seethed. "Why is there a human in this house?"

"When you didn't return last night, I knew you were upset with me," she said. "I thought I would bring you a peace offering." At this she smiled widely.

"So you brought me a _human_?" He looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Bree, what made you possibly think I would want you to do that?"

"Well, it wasn't completely intentional," she lied smoothly. "I was upset and took the car for a drive down to Vancouver. I didn't know where I was going, and when I stopped to see if someone could give me directions, I found this man trying to rape a woman. I stopped him, of course, but then I remembered what you said the other night! If I let him go, he would just go and find another victim! So I brought him here instead."

Bree's story was partially true. What she neglected to tell Edward was that she had gone _looking_ for someone like this intentionally. When she found what she was looking for, the fiend had already beaten his victim almost to death. Bree thought it no big thing to finish her off.

After last night, she knew that she stood the risk of losing Edward. Bree needed to do something drastic to keep him. She knew Edward better than he ever imagined. She had soon learned that he would never return to his human if he didn't deem himself worthy.

Edward stood there, speechless. His face was thunderous, looking ready to explode at any moment. Carefully, Bree started to work on his anger until it started to unravel and float away from him. When his face smoothed out, she smirked to herself.

"Do you want to see him?" she asked quietly. "He is unconscious in the dining room." She thought it apropos to put their meal in that particular room.

"No," Edward said forcefully. She could feel him fighting against his urges.

"Edward, he already knows what we are. He needs to be destroyed, we can't just let him go." Bree held out her hand to him. Against his will, he staggered forward to her and took it.

They walked into the dining room together. The man was tied up in one of the chairs. Bree went to him and slapped his face lightly so that he would regain consciousness. He snorted, and she saw his eyes rolling underneath his eyelids.

"Wakey, wakey!" Bree tittered maniacally.

When the man finally came to, he looked around him warily until he saw Bree. He fought against his restraints as she smiled at him wickedly.

"You've been a bad, bad boy," she said in a mournful voice, the light dancing in her crimson eyes.

The man increased his struggles till he saw Edward standing in the doorway. He fixed on him desperately and began begging for his life. Bree went behind his chair and clamped a hand over his mouth muffling his words. She stripped Edward of any conflicting emotion.

"Read his mind!" she ordered. "See what he did to that woman tonight! See what he most likely has done to many other women, Edward." She leaned in beside the man's ear and whispered to him, "Yes, that wasn't your first time, was it, you sick bastard?"

Edward rocked back against the force of the man's thoughts. It was like sitting in a snake pit as the images of women sprang unbidden in his mind. One after another, women lying beat senseless under him as he rutted against them and then left for dead. After the relative solitude he'd had over the last couple of weeks, this barrage of images drove him to the brink of insanity.

Shaking his head back and forth, Edward was defenseless against the onslaught. What finished him was a very vivid picture of a girl who resembled Bella, begging for her life. His eyes snapped open; they were black as pitch as his lips pulled back from his teeth.

"Yes," Bree encouraged. "Finish him! He deserves to die!" Her voice was forceful and deadly.

Edward didn't stand a chance as she took away his last shred of humanity. He lunged at the man knocking the chair over, his teeth sinking into the soft flesh of the man's neck, which broke with a satisfying _crack! _The blood pulsed hotly into his mouth, and in that moment, he wondered why he had ever fought his true nature.

Bree stood over Edward as he fed with a victorious look on her face. He would never go back to his family now, not with the telltale sign of betrayal on his face. Edward looked at Bree, his eyes now as crimson as her own.

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**Welcome to Darkward... don't say I didn't warn you! *waits for hate mail***


	18. Recognition And Abduction

**Twilight = Not mine**

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Bella was right. The week long wait until Carlisle called the Volturi passed by excruciatingly slow. No matter how much she begged, he remained resolute.

Alice's vision gave them some hope, despite the fact that no one seemed to recognize the mountain that Edward had been seated on. It looked vaguely familiar, but not enough to take any action. Emmett had been begging to leave and search for them, but without knowing the extent of Bree's power, Carlisle had been loath to let him go alone or with Jasper. It was bad enough he had already lost one member of his family; he didn't want any others in Bree's clutches.

As each day passed, Carlisle felt worse and worse, his guilt becoming nearly insurmountable. The only thing that kept him sane were his shifts at the hospital. It pained him to see Esme so broken over what had happened. She also blamed herself for not fighting to keep Edward with them. Every day when he returned home, he would find her alone and destitute. He tried to comfort her as best he could, but it was increasingly difficult as time passed.

The rest of his children were in varying states: Emmett chomped at the bit to do something; Jasper tried to keep everyone's emotional climate from overwhelming him; Alice was still trying to get more visions of Edward to pinpoint where he was.

Finally the day came when Carlisle placed the call. It was with a heavy heart that he flipped his phone open and began dialing the number that would connect him to Italy. As the phone rang, Alice's eyes went blank and she held up her hand.

"Stop!" she yelled. "I see him! She's left him, and I know where they are!"

~*~*~*~*~

Bella frantically hung up the phone, a strange concoction of hope and fear brewing in her stomach. Alice had had another vision, and they knew where to find Edward and Bree. They had holed themselves up in one of the Cullens' homes in northern Canada. She wanted to go with them to find Edward but Carlisle forbade it. He didn't know to what lengths Bree would go, and she was much too fragile to be allowed near the young vampire.

Hitting her hand against the counter, she cursed herself for being human. Yet again, the Cullens were in danger, and there was nothing she could do to help them. She paced around the kitchen knowing that she would slowly go insane waiting to hear news.

Bella decided she would go upstairs and try reading to occupy her time. She knew it would be a wasted effort, but she didn't think she had any other choice. When she walked into her room, there was someone there. Her hand flew to her face as she stifled a scream.

Bree stood there smiling, showing an alarming array of teeth. Her eyes were even more vivid than Bella remembered.

"Hello, Bella!" Bree said cheerfully. "Edward sends his regards."

"Where is he, you spiteful _bitch?_" Bella said between clenched teeth. "What have you done with him?"

"Such language," Bree admonished, tsk-ing. "And here Edward always painted you as a pillar of virtue and innocence." She chuckled darkly. "Don't worry about Edward, he's just fine. Or at least, he will be when you are finally out of the picture."

Bella took a sharp breath. "Edward loves me. Even if you kill me, that won't change. He would hate you if you did." She raised her chin defiantly.

"Oh, _I'm_ not going to kill you, silly Bella! Edward is." Bree sneered menacingly.

"What?" Bella whispered, mortified. "That's impossible. He'd never hurt me! He doesn't even hunt humans, what makes you think he'd kill me?"

"Ah, Bella, Bella, _Bella_… I think you will find Edward much changed since you last saw him!" She lunged at Bella.

With a quick strike to the head, Bree held the girl's unconscious body against her own. Resisting the urge to sink her teeth into the tender flesh under Bella's jaw, she carried her to the window. Bree jumped and ran to the car, opened the trunk, and laid her inside. She tied Bella up swiftly and placed tape over her mouth.

Bree laughed as she jumped in the car and drove off at breakneck speed.

~*~*~*~*~

Alice ran towards Bella's house. Carlisle decided she should stay behind to keep Bella company so she wouldn't be too worried. Unfortunately, since her gift was relatively useless against Bree, they didn't need her to go along. Carlisle also wanted to make sure one of his family members was safe. If things went horribly wrong, there should be someone left behind to get help.

Quickly rapping on the door, Alice waited for Bella to answer. After a minute she knocked again. Still no answer. She listened intently but didn't hear any noise inside. Alice saw Bella's truck parked at the curb and concluded she must be home.

Taking a look around to make sure no one saw her, Alice scaled the side of the house. She thought perhaps Bella was in the shower and couldn't hear her knocking. As soon as Alice pushed the window aside, Bree's scent filled her nose. She hissed violently.

The room was empty. Alice's stomach dropped and she felt physically ill. Fighting down her dread she did a quick check of the house; Bella was nowhere to be found. She was flooded with fear for her missing friend. There was no discernable smell of blood so Alice knew Bella must have been alive when she was taken.

Alice flipped open her phone and hit the speed dial. It was picked up on the first ring.

"Carlisle," Alice said into the phone, panic coloring her voice, "Bella is missing and I'm certain Bree took her!"

There was a stunned silence on the other end before Carlisle answered, "Tell me everything."

Alice told him what happened from the moment she arrived till the phone call. She paced back and forth, her voice hitching as she recounted it all.

"Is the scent fresh?" Carlisle barked.

"Yes."

"This is not good, but what would she want with Bella?" Carlisle asked with mounting alarm.

"I'm not sure!" Alice replied agitated, "My guess would be to kill her and get her out of the way but why wouldn't she have done it here?"

"That's a good question. We must get to Edward in Vancouver quickly; perhaps we can make it there before she does. I just pray we aren't too late!" Carlisle was speaking urgently.

"Hurry Carlisle! You must leave now, I have a bad feeling about this!"

They said their goodbyes and Alice snapped her phone shut. She sat on Bella's bed and placed her face in her hands. She shook with anxiety. After a moment she got up, looked around the room and slipped out of the window to go home.

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**Ok my lovelies! This chapter was a bit action packed, I hope you liked it!!**

**P.S. I don't know if any of you belong to Twilighted but I did start a thread over there for anyone interested in discussing the story... it's in the AU section :))**


	19. Dinner For Two

**A/N: Once again, thank you so much to my reg readers/reviewers! You're all awesome and the support has been great even though I've thrown you some unexpected curve balls! If you haven't reviewed yet, please, I'd love to hear from you! Reviews = Love 3**

**Twilight belongs to SM**

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Edward sat in his room alone, waiting for Bree. Over the last couple of weeks, he had given in to his baser nature. It was now almost a nightly ritual to go to Vancouver to seek out degenerates and serve out his ultimate brand of justice.

He tried to not think of his family any longer, for when he did, it was just too overwhelming. He would be too ashamed to face them. Edward was thoroughly disgusted with himself for throwing away eighty years of restraint. He was once again the monster he had fought so fiercely to suppress.

If he needed any proof, all he had to do was look in the mirror. His blood red eyes were windows leading directly to his blackened soul. Edward once thought he had no soul, but now he knew that was untrue. He could feel it sitting inside of him, a twisted and withered thing.

His soul--it was a constant and painful reminder that he was a walking nightmare. A living monster, dropped into the lap of humanity to wreak havoc on the unexpected. His only solace was that he had never taken an innocent victim. Edward hoped his downward spiral into madness didn't change that.

Bree's occasional disappearances weighed heavily on him. Edward felt burdened by too many emotions the few times they weren't together. It was as if she was like Novocain, numbing him and keeping the chronic pain at bay.

Edward got up and started to pace back and forth. He debated trying to outrun everything. Before Bree left, she had told him she had a surprise for him and that she would return in a few hours. He supposed getting out of the house was a better idea than sitting alone and brooding.

Letting himself out, he flew through the forest. The last time he had done this, he scaled Black Mountain and had thought of Bella. Edward's chest constricted. He could never return to her now. He was no longer worthy of any love she may still feel for him--not that he had been worthy in the first place. No, it was better that she had chosen Jacob.

Taking to the trees, he soared and climbed. Sailing from branch to branch took more of his concentration. Edward hoped this would stem the flow of remorse coursing through his body.

It didn't.

Edward plummeted from the highest boughs of the trees and landed silently. He began running again. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been gone but decided to double back and head for home.

~*~*~*~*~

Bree pulled up in front of the cabin. She got out of the car and went inside. It didn't take her long to realize Edward wasn't there. _Perfect! _she thought to herself. That would allow her time to set everything up.

Even though Edward had become compliant, he was still hampered by feelings for the girl. Bree was sick and tired of taking away those emotions and thought perhaps it was time for the human to die. And what better way, then at the hand of the one who loved her most? The guilt would rot Edward from the inside out, and then he would be even easier to control. Bree was certain that eventually he would forget Bella and finally move on.

Moving silently through the house she went directly to the dining room. She arranged a chair for Bella to sit in and then went to light some candles. What a nice, romantic meal Bella would make. Bree covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

It would be a wonder if Bree would recognize herself in the monstrosity that had taken her place.

Exiting the house she walked back to the car. The meddlesome human had recovered consciousness and was kicking the interior of the trunk. Bree threw the hatch open and glared at Bella.

"Stop making that racket before I snap your legs like twigs!" she hissed.  
Bella stopped moving at once. Her chest was heaving up and down from exertion. She knew it was pointless to struggle against the restraints, but her natural sense of self-preservation had taken over. It wasn't as if she could outrun or fight off the young vampire, even if she had managed to loosen her binds.

Reaching into the trunk, Bree grabbed the girl and threw her over her shoulder unceremoniously. Bella's breath huffed out as Bree's stone shoulder struck her in the diaphragm, the blood rushing uncomfortably to her head. As they got nearer to the house, Bella's fear hit a fever pitch.

Not knowing what to expect, she was both anxious and worried to see Edward again. He would have no idea what was happening. Did he hate her now because he thought she was with Jacob? What had Bree been doing to him? She must have him under some type of control if she thought Edward would kill her.

Bree dropped her into a chair roughly and began to fasten her chest and legs securely. Bella looked around the room, mortified at the romantic setting. It would have almost been funny, except for the fact that she was the main course. A moan escaped behind the tape gagging her.

Laughing, Bree took hold of the end and ripped it off, making Bella screech.

"Any last words before your lover kills you?" Bree asked sweetly.

"You'll never get away with this!"

"Really? Seems like I've gotten away with quite a bit so far," Bree sneered. "Who's going to stop me? You are just a pathetic, weak mortal."

Bella understood she must remain quiet, that the Cullens knew where Edward and Bree were. She silently prayed that they would arrive in time. She knew that they would have left shortly after Bree had abducted her. She had to stall for time.

"Why, Bree? Why are you doing this?"

"Because you don't deserve him!" she seethed. "Edward adored you, and you threw him away for a filthy animal!

Bella stayed silent. She barely stopped herself from blurting out that she knew about Bree's power. Instead, she told her what she thought she wanted to hear.

"But I'm with Jacob now. What would killing me prove?"

"It will prove that Edward is finally over you. Once you are out of the way, he will love _me!_"

Bella began to cry. Slow, silent tears ran down her face. She had been close to death more times than she could count, but somehow the thought of her beloved actually killing her was too much for her to bear. Bella knew that Edward would never recover from the guilt and that thought pained her more than her impending death.

Bree looked at Bella with a disgusted look on her face. Feeble, useless human. The world would be better off without her.

"Time for talk is over," Bree said happily. "I'm sure Edward will be home soon, and then the real fun will start." Her eyes took on a fanatical gleam.

"Please, don't..." Bella whispered.

There was no reply from Bree as she turned on her heel leaving Bella all alone. She glanced around the dining room at the macabre mockery of dinner for two.

~*~*~*~*~

Bree waited at the river for Edward's return. She knew he wouldn't be late for his "surprise" and smiled to herself. Sure enough, she heard him coming through the trees, the noise he made would be too subtle for human ears to hear.

Jumping across the river, Edward spied Bree waiting for him. She looked excited and tense, as if she was coiled like a spring. He wondered briefly what made her look like this. He came to a fluid stop in front of her.

"I have your surprise," Bree said animatedly, smiling widely. "But first, I need you to do two things." Still smiling she held up a length of black fabric. She tied the blindfold deftly, covering his eyes.

Edward frowned slightly. "Bree, what are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"I want to make sure the surprise isn't ruined," she said sweetly. "Now I want you to hold your breath."

"Isn't this a tad excessive?" Edward asked, bristling slightly. Bree frowned and siphoned away his annoyance until he was acquiescent.

"No, I promise you, it will all be worth it!"

"Alright, let's go." And with that he stopped breathing and allowed Bree to lead him into the house.

Edward's other senses were still sharp so he knew they were heading to the dining room. He could hear a human heart beating furiously, the timbre sounding very familiar. He could also hear labored breathing and small exhalations of fear. Bree had brought him another human, but why? What was the surprise?

Bree stopped Edward before the entrance to the dining room. She rushed in and stood behind Bella, clamping a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't call out and ruin all her hard work.

"Edward…" Bree called softly. "You can come in now." Her voice had a singsong quality.

Edward removed his blindfold and stepped into the room.

"Bella," he croaked.

That expended the remainder of his breath and when he inhaled, her scent hit him like a sledgehammer. After being away from her for over a month and dining on human blood, his reaction to her blood was just as deadly as the first day he met her.

Venom welled in his mouth, and his muscles tensed to spring. Only the look in her eyes stopped him. There was no panic there, or even the disgust he so sorely deserved. Her eyes shone with love for him.

"Bree, what is she doing here?" he roared. His next inhalation of breath sent him staggering against the doorway to maintain precious hold of his sanity.

Bree watched the emotions swirling around Edward. Confusion. Desire. Fear. Surprise. Disgust. Shame. Bloodlust.

"I brought her for you, Edward." Bree started to unravel any emotion that would prevent him from finishing the girl off. "Once she is gone, you can move on with your life, with me!" she said forcefully.

Bella whimpered behind Bree's hand. She looked at Edward's crimson eyes and knew what the fiend had made him do. Now she understood why Bree had been so certain Edward would kill her. If after eighty years of abstinence her blood sang to him, she could only imagine now that he had stopped denying himself the blood of humans. She wanted to be disgusted, wondering how many people he had killed, but even still her heart sang at the sight of him. She couldn't stop the love she felt for him, and she knew now she never could.

"She doesn't want you, Edward! Just before you came, she was telling me how happy she was with that _dog_." Bree tightened her hold on Bella's face. "Weren't you?"

At this, Bree made her first mistake. She was so sure of herself that she took her hand away and let Bella speak.

"She's lying, Edward! She has the power to manipulate emotion--," Bella managed to get out before Bree clamped her hand over her mouth again.

"_Shut_ _up!_" she hissed menacingly.

Edward was still visibly fighting his bloodlust, the wood of the doorway splintering under his hands.

"What is she talking about, Bree?" His eyes narrowed with distrust.

"Nothing! She is just desperate to live! She will say anything to spare her own life; can't you see that?" Bree beseeched Edward.

Quickly, she worked on him some more until finally there was just bloodlust. Edward grunted, and his head flew back and forth.

"Do it, Edward," Bree whispered to him. "Finish her!"

Bella struggled against her restraints futilely, panic set in as she watched Edward's eyes turn a sinister black. He dropped into a crouch before her.

"I'm sorry," he forced out before lunging at Bella.

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**Another cliffy! I'm horrible, I know... Are you still out there? If you are, review and let me know what you think!**


	20. She Dies

**A/N: 2 cliffies in a row… I know, completely evil! Hopefully this chapter appeases the masses! * chuckle ***

**I do not own twilight no copyright infringement is intended**

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Bella closed her eyes as Edward made the leap for her throat. She felt the wind whistle past her head before hearing a crash that sounded like an avalanche.

Her eyes flew open, and she saw Edward on top of Bree. He was snarling like a rabid animal as his jaws tried to close over her throat. Bree was quick and managed to get her arm up in time. His teeth sunk into her wrist just inches from his intended target. With a wrench of his head, her hand was ripped from her arm. Bree screeched as she watched him spit the appendage across the room.

"Edward, _no!_" Bree wailed.

Edward was past reason; all he felt was an all-encompassing rage for the thing underneath him. Everything finally made sense. Once he launched at her, the barriers came down from her mind, and he read everything quite clearly. All of her schemes lay out before him like a rotted corpse's entrails, black and diseased.

Bella watched, terrified, as Bree grappled with Edward on the floor. She knew the newborn was still stronger than him, but his fury made them equals. Bree gave up trying to fend Edward off and started to fight back fiercely. Edward had his hand pushed under her jaw to keep her teeth from making contact. Bree whipped her head back and forth while bucking wildly to try and throw him off of her.

Striking with the agility and grace of a cobra, Edward's other hand closed about Bree's throat, and he started to squeeze. Soon both hands were around her slender throat as he rose to his knees above her. She was grasping at his wrist with her remaining hand as she pummeled him with what was left of her other arm.

Edward knew he had to get Bree out of the room; if she managed to get out of his clutches, she would fly at Bella and kill her. Keeping hold of Bree's neck, he got to his feet and dragged her out of the room. Bree began kicking at him wildly, screaming like a scalded cat. She continued trying to get him to break the death grip on her throat. Her shrieking stopped abruptly as Edward crushed her larynx.

Bella was left alone in the dining room. She renewed her struggles against the ropes tying her; she heard a great crash from the other room, like glass breaking. Lots of glass. Realizing her attempts were useless she slumped against the chair thinking about what just happened. Even though she was sick with worry over Edward, she was also relieved to know that he still loved her as well.

A loud crash sounded towards the front of the house. Within seconds, Esme dashed into the room.

"Esme!" Bella started, frantically. "Edward is outside fighting Bree!"

Esme ripped off the ropes that tied Bella to the chair effortlessly. "I know. The others ran out after them." She took Bella by the shoulders. "Are you hurt, Bella?"

"No."

Dimly, Bella heard a screeching metallic sound. She recognized the noise at once. It was the sound of a vampire being dismembered. Esme pushed Bella's head against her chest and covered her ear to muffle the noise.

Bella's chest began to hitch as the day's events crashed down about her head. The abduction, the terrifying ride in the trunk of the Volvo, Bree's maniacal certainty that Edward would kill her, and finally Edward himself.

"Oh Esme," Bella moaned. "Bree somehow got Edward to feed from humans again!"

Esme took a deep, dragging breath. "Oh, poor Edward," she said, shaking her head. "He will never forgive himself for this, even if it wasn't his fault."

"She brought me here so Edward could kill me," Bella said babbling. "At first, I didn't think he was going to be able to resist her… but he _did_." A sob escaped her lips.

Esme murmured to Bella softly, while rocking her back and forth, "Shh, shh, it's all over now."

Carlisle rushed into the dining room, looking distressed. "Bella, I am so sorry about what happened! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Carlisle. Is Bree…?"

"Yes. She's been destroyed. Edward had mostly taken care of her by the time we arrived. They are starting the fire right now." Carlisle was looking around the room; he finally spotted the last remnant of Bree in the corner.

"Where is Edward now? Can I see him?" Bella asked anxiously.

Carlisle sighed. "I'm sorry, Bella. He doesn't want to see you right now."

"Why? Is he still upset with me for what happened?"

"No. He realizes none of that was your fault. We explained everything to him."

"Then why?" Bella watched Carlisle hesitate, "He's ashamed, isn't he?"

Carlisle nodded ruefully. "He thinks that he should have been strong enough to fight Bree's power. He is also afraid. Since he has had human blood, your scent is even stronger to him now. He doesn't think he can resist." Carlisle's jaw clenched and his lips thinned out.

"Oh, Edward," Bella sighed, placing her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook silently.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Rosalie and Esme will drive you home. I'm sure Charlie will be worried." Carlisle picked up Bree's hand gingerly and started to leave the room.

"Wait!" Bella called out to him, frantically, "Please, Carlisle! Can I at least say goodbye to him?"

Carlisle turned back to her slowly. "Let me talk to him, Bella. Perhaps I can convince him at least to do that." He turned once more to leave.

"Thank you!" Bella called after him.

~*~*~*~*~

Carlisle walked toward the fire and tossed Bree's hand into the flames. Edward was sitting cross-legged on the ground. His elbows were on his knees, hands fisted in his hair. Jasper and Emmett surrounded him to make sure he didn't try to leave.

"Rosalie, go inside with Bella and Esme, please," Carlisle asked softy.

"Alright, Carlisle." With one last backward glance at Edward, Rosalie glided toward the house.

Carlisle sat down beside Edward. He wanted to put his hand on the younger man's shoulder but hesitated. He knew that Edward was sinking deeper into his own misery and had no clue how to stop it.

"This wasn't your fault, Edward," Carlisle finally voiced.

"I should have known something was wrong." Edward's voice was muffled. "The night I stayed on the mountain, I remembered feeling so many emotions. Ones I hadn't felt in so long! I thought maybe I was just shutting down, but now I realize how _stupid_ I had been.

"I should have known that it was because I wasn't with Bree! I should have pieced it together!" he said emphatically.

"It wouldn't have mattered, Son," Carlisle said gently. " She would have seen your doubt and just taken it away."

Edward shook his head. "It doesn't excuse what I did, Carlisle. I've taken human life, _again_! It doesn't matter if they were the scum of the earth, it wasn't my place to do so."

"You're right." Carlisle watched as Edward's head shot up. He looked shocked Carlisle had actually agreed with him. "Nothing excuses taking human life, Edward; however, there is nothing you can do to change what happened. You have to move past this."

"I don't know if I can!" Edward said, frustrated. "It's like starting all over again from the beginning. My thirst has become insatiable." The last was said in a whisper.

"We will help you, Son." This time Carlisle did put his arm around Edward, embracing the boy.

After a moment of silence, Carlisle cleared his throat. "Bella asked if she could say goodbye."

Edward looked at his father in abhorrence. "I can't! I can't be near her right now! I came so close to hurting her today. It was a miracle I was able to keep myself from killing her."

"Listen to me, Edward. I said we would help you, and this will be the first step. Emmett and Jasper will keep hold of you; Jasper can help you using his power. Rose, Esme, and I will protect Bella just in case. How does that sound?"

Edward shook his head no. "I can't, Carlisle. I just can't face her like this. I am too ashamed."

"She loves you, Edward." Jasper had been standing by silent, but he knew Edward needed to hear this. "She never stopped loving you. This past month has been very difficult on us all, but especially for Bella. She blames herself for what happened. If you deny her this, I'm not sure she will get over it."

Edward took a deep, shuddery breath before nodding his assent. He rose to his feet, and they all walked towards the house.

~*~*~*~*~

Carlisle reentered the dining room. Bella looked up at him expectantly. He cleared his throat.

"Bella, Edward is waiting for you in the living room."

Bella scrambled to her feet. Before she could rush out of the room, Carlisle blocked her way. He took her by the shoulders gently, and looked into her eyes.

"Bella, Edward isn't the same as when he left," Carlisle said carefully. "We must take great precaution. He is at the end of the living room being restrained by Emmett and Jasper. We will stay near the front door. If anything should happen, we can escape easily."

"But Carlisle, Edward wouldn't hurt me! He had the chance and he fought it!" she said desperately.

"I know, Bella, but that took a great deal of self control. You must not go near him right now. You will say your goodbye and then leave directly. Understand?"

She nodded her head sadly. Carlisle turned and walked towards the living room. Bella followed, flanked by Rosalie and Esme.

When Bella walked into the room she stifled a gasp. The whole back wall was blasted out and glass sprayed everywhere, catching the light. Edward stood with Jasper holding one arm and Emmett holding the other. He had a pained expression on his face when he saw her.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," she said inaudibly. He closed his eyes at the sound of her voice and hung his head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he called to her. "None of this was your fault."

"Then none of it is yours!" Bella retorted angrily. "If I hadn't been confused about Jacob…"

"Bella, stop!" Edward commanded, "You will not take the blame for me becoming a monster, _again_."

"Edward," Bella moaned as she staggered forward, reaching towards him.

Her movement caused her scent to waft towards Edward. Suddenly his eyes became blank, and he lunged against his brothers restraining arms. Carlisle grabbed Bella by the waist and pulled her behind him, flanked by Rosalie and Esme immediately. Bella burst into tears calling out Edward's name as he was dragged out of the house.

Carlisle turned to her. "You have to leave now," he told her sorrowfully.

"No!" she cried, "Edward, I love you!" Bella prayed he was still close enough to hear her.

Carlisle made a gesture to Esme who wrapped her arms around Bella and started to lead her to the waiting car. Bella sobbed against her but went placidly. He watched them leave before turning to go find Edward.

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**Ding Dong the witch is dead! Which ole witch? The mind fuck witch! Yay! I hope you guys are happy... and now comes a bunch of angst, poor poor Edward**


	21. Mountaintop Fantasies

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! I so do love them :)) This chapter is pretty short, I think my shortest to date but I think you'll like it! Beware, it has some lemon zest!**

**Twilight belongs to SM, Stephen King may hate her but he can suck my big toe! **

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Another month had passed with excruciating slowness as Edward became accustomed to life as a vegetarian once more. They had opted to stay in the cabin north of Vancouver for his recovery. Edward didn't feel comfortable being too close to humanity so soon, and besides being afraid for her safety, he was also too ashamed to face Bella.

He knew that if he returned to Forks right away, he would have to fight the urge to see her, touch her, kiss her, kill her...He also knew that Bella -- with her lack of self-preservation -- wouldn't hesitate showing up at the Cullens' home, just as desperate to see him as well.

Carlisle had left after a few days to return to work at the hospital, but Jasper and Emmett had remained. At first they stayed to make sure he didn't stray and rush off to Vancouver, but then it was to lend moral support. Neither of them wanted him to sink completely into a pit of despair.

Edward found that without Bree's presence, it was much easier to control his baser urge for human blood. Without her sapping him of his self control, he got back into the rhythm of hunting animals and after a couple of weeks, he was fairly certain he could live among humans again without being a threat.

Except for one.

It pained him that he hadn't been able to control himself at the very end so he could say a proper goodbye to Bella. She called Emmett every day to check on his progress and beg to speak with Edward but he never took the phone. There was too much left unsaid between them, and he didn't want to bridge that gap over the phone. It just seemed too impersonal to him.

Edward was cognizant of the fact that had he heard Bella's sweet voice, he would beat a hasty retreat back to Forks and neither of his brothers would have been able to stop him. Even though a part of him died every time he refused to take the call, he knew it was for the best.

Rosalie and Alice came to visit every so often. Rosalie was none too thrilled that Emmett was staying in Canada and took every opportunity to complain about it. Edward usually went and disappeared in the mountains on the few occasions she stayed. He preferred to be alone anyway.

This was one of those times.

He was sitting on his favorite outcrop gazing over the forest towards the Pacific Ocean. He had a package that Alice had given him a couple of weeks ago in a pack slung across his back. As he sat there, he extracted the sealed plastic bag and took out the fabric that was inside.

It was a wrap that Bella had been sleeping with. She had given it to Alice so that Edward could once again become accustomed to her scent. Bella felt that it might help him to come home to her sooner.

He scrunched the soft fabric against his face and inhaled deeply. Rolling onto his side, he clutched the wrap against him while he sobbed. Admittedly, her scent set his throat aflame. It was pure torture, but that wasn't what caused him the most pain. The agony searing him most acutely was how much he missed Bella.

There were so many subtle nuances emanating from the fabric, each one calling up memories. The smell of strawberries reminded him of her silky hair on his fingers. Freesias would always bring to mind her smooth, soft skin as he pressed his lips against it. There was also the sweet musk of sleep, symbolizing warmth, comfort, and dreams. This scent resonated with him the most as it made him recall all the nights they slept in her bed, and she would whisper his name in the dark as he held her.

He rolled onto his back and gazed at the stars above him. He held the wrap against his chest and continued to breathe deeply. Eventually, the burn faded until it was more manageable. After a while, he placed the wrap back into the plastic bag so that the fragrance would remain.

Closing his eyes, he imagined that he was with Bella. He could almost feel her body pressed against him and hear her sigh softly as he kissed her. In his mind, there is nothing holding him back, allowing his imagination to run wild.

He pictures them in his bed facing each other, his lips covering her face with kisses. Bella, with her arms around him, hands in his hair. Edward running his hands down her body, loving her subtle curves. He can almost feel as her heart pounds against his chest.

Keeping his eyes closed, he can see her as if she were actually there. He can hear her moan as his lips trail down her neck towards her warm, firm breasts, his hands ghost across her flesh and her nipples pebble in response.

In his fantasy, he is able to take one into his mouth and suckle her gently. One hand continues its path downward and the Bella in his mind draws in a swift breath as the muscles in her stomach contract at the feel of his hand. Reaching the apex of her thighs, she opens her legs for him so he can feel the pulsating heat of her sex against his eager fingers.

Still in the moment, he is now sliding one finger gently inside her. She says his name tenderly and moves against him. Edward imagined rolling Bella so she is on her back and he lies on top of her. As he brings his lips back to hers, they kiss sensuously. He positions himself and slides into her slowly. They rock together whispering love and endearments until they lie spent and satisfied in each other's arms.

Edward opened his eyes unwillingly. He would have loved to remain in his fantasy forever but realized that would be impossible. Sitting up, he groaned at the pressure of his erection pushing against the fabric of his pants. He cursed his all too human hormones and got up to walk it off.

As he was walking, Edward started thinking of Bella again. _It was time to go home and face the music,_ he thought wryly. He was certain now that he could be near her without hurting her physically. Edward winced at the thought that he would hurt her emotionally. He would have to confess to everything that happened between Bree and him. Knowing that Bree had been manipulating him wouldn't make it any easier to admit, or possibly, for Bella to accept.

Edward looked around one last time at the great sky, the brilliant stars and the breathtaking vista, before turning back towards the cabin. He was going to tell his family that it was time to go home. He took off running towards his future, whatever that may hold.

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**You know the drill... show me love baby!!**


	22. The Reckoning

**A/N: Angst, Angst, Angst! Who doesn't love it?? lol... This chapter is pretty long to offset the last one.  
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**Twilight is not mine * brokenhearted ***

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Alice called Bella to let her know that Edward was finally on his way home. Bella wanted to rush right over but was told it was best if she waited for Edward to contact her. She hoped he didn't wait too long. Bella knew they couldn't just take up where they left off since he needed to acclimate himself to her scent again, but she was anxious to reconnect with her Edward.

Sighing, Bella sat on her bed. Waiting while he had stayed in Canada was difficult, but waiting to see him when he would be _so_ close would be like the seventh circle of hell. Bella knew that was one of the reasons why Edward had stayed at the cabin. She also knew it would take all her willpower not to propel herself into his cold embrace when she finally did see him again. Starting from the beginning was going to be incredibly difficult.

It had been over a month since she had seen Edward or even heard his voice. At first, Bella had been wounded to the core that he wouldn't take her calls. She had automatically thought he was angry with her and waited until she was off the phone before collapsing on her bed in a fit of tears. Alice had shown up at her window and gathered Bella in her arms, murmuring comforting words.

Had it not been for Alice, Bella would have lost her mind a long time ago. Her best friend had been diligently searching Edward's future. She couldn't see too far in advance since his resolve changed so often, but she was confident that when he did decide to come home, he wouldn't hurt Bella. Sometimes she still saw Bella as a vampire as well, which was somewhat comforting.

Everything hinged on Edward's return and that first crucial meeting between the two of them.

Bella went over all the things she wanted to say to Edward in her mind. She never got a chance to really apologize for leaving the way she did. She still felt guilty and thought she had been the catalyst which put everything in motion the night he disappeared with Bree. No one blamed her, of course, for anything that happened, but she couldn't help but feel responsible.

She also wanted him to know how much she loved him, that she was no longer confused. This whole situation had brought everything into sharp focus for Bella. She was ready to move forward and bring their relationship to the next level. She wanted to be Edward's wife and would tell him as soon as she saw him again.

~*~*~*~*~

Edward had been home for two days without contacting Bella. Every time he reached for the phone, fear gripped him, and he couldn't dial the numbers. He was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling when he heard someone enter his room. He looked to see Emmett standing in his door.

Never one to hold back, Emmett went straight to the point. "Why haven't you called Bella yet?" he demanded.

Edward frowned at Emmett before answering. "I don't believe that is any of your business," he replied curtly.

"It _is_ my business 'cause I have to watch you mope around! It's also my business, 'cause I was the one who stayed with your sorry ass in Canada!"

"No one forced you to stay, Emmett," Edward said calmly.

"You're right, no one did," he conceded, "but if I knew you were just going to come back here and be a coward, I wouldn't have wasted my time."

Edward sat up quickly, glaring at Emmett. "I'm afraid of _hurting_ her!" he yelled. "What happens if I can't control myself?"

"Pardon my language, but _bullshit!_" Emmett retorted. "You aren't afraid of killing her, you're afraid of what she'll do when she finds out what happened between you and Bree!"

Edward had bared his soul to his brothers during their stay up north and now was sorely regretting that decision. He had needed to confess, and, up until this moment, neither Emmett nor Jasper had judged him over what had happened.

"You wouldn't understand," Edward said bitterly. "What if she had set her sights on you? How do you think Rosalie would react to news like that?"

"Rosalie would roast my man parts over an open fire… with me still attached!" Emmett laughed. "But Rosalie is not Bella."

Edward dropped his face in his hands and shook it back and forth. Seeing this, Emmett instinctively wanted to console Edward. He walked towards the bed and sat down. Edward felt the bed sag under Emmett's considerable bulk and looked up from his hands.

"Look," Emmett said as he clapped a hand on Edward's shoulder, "it sucks that Bree had to pick you, but do you honestly think that _we_ could have resisted her either?"

"I don't know," Edward whispered.

"No, we wouldn't have. Edward, you have the strongest will of us all! If _you_ couldn't resist her, then I don't think anyone could have. In the end, you did fight her when it was most important.

"Bella may not like what happened, but she'll understand. It may take her some time to forgive you, but I think she will," Emmett finished.

"What if she doesn't?" Edward asked, turning large eyes towards his brother.

"Then you'll just have to work your ass off to make sure she does!" Emmett insisted.

"That sounds a lot easier said than done."

Emmett shrugged, "Stop being a chicken shit and call her Edward." He handed Edward his cell phone and got up to leave the room.

When he reached the door he heard Edward call out to him, "Hey Emmett?" He turned back. "Thank you; I appreciate everything you said." Edward smiled sheepishly.

"No prob, bro." Emmett smiled back and left the room.

Edward stared at his phone for a few moments before flipping it up and hitting the speed dial. He held his breath as it rang and finally heard Bella's sweet, clear voice.

~*~*~*~*~

Bella sat in her truck outside of the Cullens' home. She was trying to get up the nerve to get out of her vehicle and head inside. She hadn't expected to be this nervous; in fact, she thought she would be sprinting towards the house by now. She took a steadying breath and yanked on the door handle to leave the sanctuary of her truck.

It was the unexpected that made her so hesitant. She couldn't shake this sense of foreboding ever since getting off the phone with Edward. Although he had seemed happy to talk to her, he was also very subdued. She didn't like it. Not one bit.

_He's just nervous_, she thought to herself.

Bella's mouth was dry as she grabbed the handle of the door. She knew they would have heard her approach, and hoped her hesitation hadn't been too noticeable. She turned the knob, while giving a brief rap on the door as she walked in.

Everyone was there, perfectly still. She looked for Edward and saw he was on the couch, flanked by Emmett and Jasper. Jasper had a hand on Edward's shoulder, in case he needed to calm him down. She watched Edward's face warily to see if he seemed to be handling her presence well.

Bella pored over his features. His eyes were the only real difference. They looked like burnished sponge toffee, still with a touch of red mixing in with the gold; they took on an odd orange cast. Even still, he was the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen.

"Hello Bella," he said gently.

Though she tried to suppress it, a sob broke through as she said his name. His face twisted in an agonized expression, and he raised a hand towards her. Jasper and Emmett tightened their grip on him.

"No, it's okay," Edward told them. "I'm in control."

Jasper turned to Alice, giving her a questioning look, and she nodded her head at him slightly. Both Emmett and Jasper dropped their hands but kept their stiff postures, just in case.

"Bella?" he said, raising his voice slightly, "I need you to just stay where you are for a little bit, okay?" He smiled faintly. Bella watched him take several, intentional deep breaths. He grimaced slightly but was otherwise composed.

Edward was actually pleased with his progress. Although her scent flooded his mouth with venom and awoke the fierce blaze in his throat, he was able to rein it in and control himself. He thought it would be safe to be alone with her. It may take a bit of time before he could touch her and caress her--even kiss her--but he was certain he would get there quickly. Seeing her standing before him made his resolve strengthen.

But first, he reminded himself, they needed to get past his brief infidelity_. If_ they could get past it.

Looking around at the apprehensive faces of his family, he gave them a thumbs up. It was a silly gesture, but seemed to break the tension in the room. Everyone laughed briefly and then visibly relaxed.

Bella perched on the edge of one of the sofas still looking at Edward. He looked back at her and gave her a small smile. Something about it was sad, however, and the feeling of dread came back in full force. The nagging feeling just would not go away.

Eventually, Jasper and Emmett no longer felt the need to stay so close to Edward and they moved to different places around the room. Alice would scan the future occasionally, and although she never professed there was any danger to Bella, she had a small frown upon her face at something she had seen. Bella watched a silent exchange between her and Edward, and her stomach tied in knots. Something was very wrong here.

After a few hours of this Bella thought she would go crazy. She announced it was time to leave and got up to go. To her surprise, Edward got up and walked her to the truck. Everyone tensed for a moment but he seemed to be in control. When they got to the driver's door, he opened it for her.

As she came around, Bella noticed an intense expression on Edward's face. He looked as if he were struggling with something. Try as she might, she could not break her gaze. Her heart started racing, and her breathing hitched as it always did when he looked at her like this. She felt speared in place.

Slowly, as to not startle her, Edward lifted his hand and brushed his fingertips down her face from cheekbone to jaw lightly. Like always, his touch felt like an electric shock. She closed her eyes and shuddered briefly before looking into his eyes again.

"Bella, my Bella," he whispered softly.

"I've missed you so," she said back in the same tone, leaning her face into his hand.

He looked down so as not to get caught up in the look that was in Bella's eyes. Right now he couldn't deny the loving expression he saw on her face, but he knew that once she found out the truth, things could change drastically. Abruptly, he dropped his hand and turned away from her.

"Edward, what's wrong?" she asked, the hurt in her voice palpable.

"Nothing," he said, still not making eye contact. "I just don't think it would be prudent to get carried away."

"I don't believe you," she said crossly. "Ever since I got here, I've felt like something was wrong!"

"Of course something is wrong!" Edward replied in kind. "I've been sitting here trying not to _kill_ you!"

Bella barked out a laugh. "What else is new? No, this is different," she insisted.

"Don't be absurd, Bella."

If Edward hadn't walked away, running his hands through his hair in agitation, she may have believed him.

"Edward, please," she begged, "what is going on?"

She watched with mounting concern, as he dragged his fingers through his scalp and mumbled something about things not going as he'd planned. His shoulders were hunched up, and he was leaning over. He looked as if he were struggling with some inner demon.

"Edward?"

Finally, he turned to her and the look on his face made Bella gasp. He looked completely tortured. His usually stunning features were drawn up and twisted.

"I didn't want to do this, not here… not like this!" The pain in his eyes threatened to engulf Bella as panic closed in around her like a vise.

"Do what? Edward, you're scaring me."

"Bella," he groaned, "When I was with Bree, some things… happened."

Bella shook her head uncomprehendingly. "Things? What things?"

Edward just looked at her, hoping he wouldn't have to explain. He knew she would never have suspected he had been intimate with another woman. His insides churned excruciatingly. Finally, he saw awareness flicker in the brown depths of her eyes.

"You aren't talking about feeding on humans, are you?" A crease furrowed her brow.

"No." The word choked out of him.

Bella started to hyperventilate as she imagined the worst. Her knees buckled, and she sat on the ground with an exhalation of breath. Edward dropped to his knees in front of her, a look of supplication on his face.

"Bella, please, you have to understand…"

"What happened?" she asked numbly.

"I thought you were with Jacob, and I didn't know she was manipulating my emotions…"

"_What._ Happened?"

"I tried to resist her; you have to believe me…

"_What happened_?!!" Bella finally shrieked at him.

In a dead voice he told her everything that had transpired between Bree and him. He made sure she knew it had only happened that one time and that he was so disgusted with himself, that he hadn't allowed anything else to happen between them, of an intimate nature.

Bella's breathing became more rapid, and she put her head between her knees. Tears squeezed out between her closed eyelids. She felt the betrayal of his actions like a white-hot spike through her heart.

Part of her knew that this never would have happened if Bree had just been an ordinary vampire -- if there was such a thing -- but it was drowned out by the larger part of her that felt sick at the thought of another woman touching Edward. She also knew that she didn't have much of a right to be upset seeing as she had been intimate with Jacob, but on a much smaller scale.

"Bella, please say something." He reached a hand towards her shoulder. She pulled back fiercely.

"I'm sorry!" he said hoarsely, "You don't know just how sorry I am! I have been plagued with guilt over everything that happened. All I could think of was that you were with Jacob, and she took advantage of that!"

Bella's head snapped up her eyes blazing, "So, that's it? You wanted to get me back at me for Jacob?"

"No!"

"No?" she pressed.

Edward shot to his feet and stalked away for a moment, finally he wheeled back to her, anger igniting his features.

"_Fine!_" he spit out. "Maybe I _was_ jealous! Maybe I was so furious that you would pick that _dog_ over me, I did act out!"

Bella felt as if she had been punched in the gut. She couldn't believe he had actually admitted he had done this in vengeance. Staring at him, she got up on her knees.

"You are going to blame _me_ for this?" she seethed.

"Yes!" he yelled at her. He walked to where she was, grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her to her feet. "You were _MINE_!" he shouted furiously. "Mine! How could you do it? How could you betray me like that?"

"You betrayed _me_ first!" she screamed back at him. "You _left_ me! I don't care if you thought it was for my own good, you left me alone and stranded in the forest, dying for _you_!"

Edward's head rocked back at the force of her accusation. Ultimately she was right. He had allowed his hurt and anger to cloud his mind briefly, but her words reminded him of just how this mess had started in the first place. It was a vicious circle. Had he never left, she never would have had feelings for Jacob, and Bree would have had no purchase.

"Bella…" he began desperately.

"Get your hands off me, Edward," she said, still visibly furious. He dropped his hands from her shoulders.

"I had come here to tell you that I still wanted to marry you. Now, I don't know what to think. I need to be alone right now; I'm sorry." She turned to get into her truck.

Edward didn't try to stop her as she slammed the door and started her truck. He watched stone-faced as she drove away, taking his dead heart with her.

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**Show love!! Please?? *puppy dog eyes* This is a tougher Bella, this is more how I wanted Bella and Edward to hash everything out in the books... I hope you liked it! **


	23. Give And Take

**A/N: I hope everyone had a great weekend! This is another super long chapter but I think you'll enjoy it ;))**

**Twilight is not owned by me... *curses***

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Bella lay in her bed crying for hours, out of anger and frustration. She was numb inside. She went over the events of the evening and couldn't believe everything had gone so wrong. After the initial shock wore off, she examined all that had been said between her and Edward.

As much as it pained her to admit it, she wasn't completely surprised that he had been intimate with Bree. They had been alone in a cabin, isolated, for over a month. Bree had had enough power to get Edward to feed from humans after eighty years of abstinence; obviously, her gift had been strong. So strong, she had been able to get him to be physical with her in a way Bella never had.

Bella ground her teeth together as she thought of that malicious bitch in between Edward's legs. She had been able to do something that he never would have allowed Bella to do, due to their circumstances. It infuriated her, to say the least.

Deep down, she understood why he wouldn't allow it and why he had given in to Bree, but that didn't make it any easier to stomach. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the same image over and over again. She flounced onto her side and buried her head in a pillow where she screamed. Feeling marginally better, she lowered the pillow and clutched it against her chest.

Underneath all the anger was also guilt. She was still ashamed of what had happened between her and Jacob. She felt a stab of indignation. Even though she had also been under Bree's spell, she had been able to snap out of it before things went too far. She had realized that something was wrong and stopped Jacob. Bella's lips pressed together in a hard line.

After a few moments of self-congratulation, she grudgingly had to admit that she had also been outside of Bree's influence when she had come back to her senses, whereas Edward had been at her mercy. He had also been able to hold her off after that single encounter, though it must have been very difficult for him. Bella felt herself starting to relent.

_No! _She wasn't ready to be forgiving just yet. He had still betrayed her!

Much like she had betrayed him.

Bella's anger slowly dissipated and sorrow took its place. Hot, sluggish tears slid down her cheeks. She cried for herself as well as for Edward. She cried because they had allowed so much to come between them. First Jacob, and then Bree. Now what they had lay in ruins.

Again, she went over the angry words they had said to one another, and she understood that they had needed to be brought to light. Obviously, this wound had been festering, and the poison had to be drawn out before it could heal.

Bella never quite got over the way Edward had left her, that much was apparent. She also had no idea that Edward had been so furious at her over Jacob. He had seemed supportive -- well, as supportive as one could be when the love of your existence confesses to loving another. Bella huffed out a breath and couldn't believe how stupid she had been. Of course, Edward hadn't understood; it had been torturing him inside, and she had been oblivious.

Oblivious or uncaring? After all, she had been secretly harboring resentment towards Edward, and perhaps that was how she had expressed it. She always avoided bringing up the subject because she knew it hurt him. What she never realized was that her tryst with Jacob had hurt Edward infinitely worse. Her breath caught as concluded that she was as much to blame as Edward for what had happened.

What an incredible mess. Could they ever recover? So much hurt and betrayal to overcome, it seemed insurmountable.

Bella heard her window slide open and a sudden shift of the bed behind her.

"Alice, not now, okay? I just want to be alone," she said sadly.

"It's not Alice."

Bella stiffened before rolling over on her bed, seeing Edward perched there at the edge.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, perhaps a little colder than she had wanted. She saw him wince and automatically felt badly. As it was, she was fighting the urge to throw herself into his arms.

Edward stood up slowly, a sad look in his eyes. "You're right," he said softly. "It may be too dangerous for us to be alone like this." He backed towards the window.

"Wait," Bella began, "I _know_ you never would have come without checking with Alice first."

A small smile played at Edward's lips, and he nodded slightly. It was soon replaced by the sorrowful expression he'd worn earlier.

"Bella…" he started hesitantly, "I just couldn't leave things like that between us. I have been torturing myself for months over this, and what I said to you was inexcusable. I should never have placed the blame on you."

"Edward--" Bella began, before being interrupted.

"Please, Bella, let me finish. I should never have let you leave that day. I should have gone after you; I should have fought for you. I let my anger and my pride get in the way. I ran away like a coward instead. That is the third time I have run away from you instead of just dealing with the situation between us."

"But you've always come back," Bella said softly.

"I don't want to run anymore, Bella." His voice cracked. All the determination she had earlier disintegrated completely.

Bella got up from the bed and went towards him. She stood a foot away from him, waiting for him to look up at her. When he did, her breath came up short. His eyes glistened as if he were holding back unshed tears; the aching in them was almost tangible.

"Will you hold me, Edward?"

Edward wasn't sure if he could completely trust himself to touch her, but he knew this wasn't the time to be cautious either. He automatically stopped breathing as she stepped into his outstretched arms. He picked her up and carried her towards the bed. He sat on it and placed her on his lap. He kept one arm around her waist while his other hand came up and traced the silver tracks left by her tears.

"Edward, I'm sorry too. I should have told you how I was feeling. Instead, I thought keeping it from you would save you the pain of guilt. I didn't know that part of me resented what you had done and hadn't forgiven you."

Edward gave her a gentle squeeze but remained silent.

"I guess that same part that resented you, manifested itself in another way. I did love Jacob. I loved what he did for me and if you never existed, perhaps things would have been different. But you _do_ exist, and there will never be anyone else for me.

"I'm still upset about Bree, I'm not going to lie. I'm upset that she got a part of you that I might never have. I'm upset because you gave in to her. I know that isn't fair, but it's how I feel, and I'm going to stop trying to protect you. You need to know."

Edward took in a dragging breath and locked his muscles in place. It took a great effort, but he couldn't remain silent any longer.

"Bree may have had part of my body, but she could never have touched my heart. That belongs only to you."

Bella nodded against his chest. This whole conversation pained her, even as she recognized the need to get everything out in the open. She was done keeping everything inside.

"What happens now?" she asked quietly.

"Now we try and forgive each other. Do you think you can?" His voice sounded unsure.

"I don't know, Edward," she whispered into his shirt.

"Bella, do you love me still?"

"Yes," she replied with no hesitation.

"Then that will have to do for now. If we love each other, the rest will come."

Lifting Bella up, he placed her under the covers in her bed. Lying on the bed facing her, they began to talk about everything that had happened between them. They hashed out all the hard feelings, the anger, the betrayal, the bitterness. For once, both of them were brutally honest because they recognized that was the only way to salvage what was left. There were tears shed but in the end they began to travel down the path to forgiveness.

It was a long, exhausting night but by the end, both were thankful for the others presence. Edward held Bella in his arms and hummed her lullaby; it had been months since she had heard it and at first it brought about a fresh set of tears. Kissing them away, Edward tightened his hold until she finally fell asleep against him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The rest of the week passed in a similar fashion. Edward would come during the night and they would talk. It helped to reacquaint themselves with one another after their separation. Slowly they began building the foundation of trust needed to move forward.

After the talks Edward would hold Bella close to him. This night, he brushed his fingers against her soft hair. She sighed against him as she molded herself to his chest. He placed a chaste kiss against her forehead. He was satisfied that he had the monster under control and reveled in the feel of her soft body against him, not his imagination this time.

Taking her chin in his hand, he lifted her face so he could look in her eyes. Although there was still a trace of sadness, he also saw love shining in them. Keeping his eyes open, he lowered his head slowly, until his lips brushed hers.

Even that slight touch was enough to ignite a flame in Edward's belly. He allowed his passion take control and found that his thirst had become just a dull ache in his throat. Bella inched her hands up his chest until they circled his neck. He placed his face against the crook of her shoulder and took a deep deliberate breath. The thirst ignited slightly, but he was becoming accustomed to it.

Bella shivered in his arms as he placed a kiss under her jaw. He moved his cool lips up towards her ear.

"Bella," he whispered against her flesh. Not really wanting to, he pulled back from her and sighed.

"Is it still difficult to be close to me?" Edward could hear the sad resignation in her voice.

Tightening his arms around her he said, "No. Surprisingly enough, it's almost as tolerable as before… I left." He hesitated completing the sentence.

"Then why did you stop?" _Yes, there was definitely hurt in her voice_, Edward thought to himself.

"I… I'm just not sure we're in a good place yet." His reply was a soft breath against her hair.

Bella pulled back slightly to face him. She brought a hand up and traced the planes of his face, committing it all to memory. Edward closed his eyes at her touch. First, she ran her fingers over his broad forehead towards his temple. Using her thumb, she sketched lightly over his brow and down his cheekbone. Lifting her hand, she brought her fingers down his nose to his perfect lips. He kissed her fingertips tenderly.

Continuing with her exploration, Bella drew her fingers down to his chin and across his jaw line. She circled his ear gently, and he opened his eyes to look at her. Edward's expression was so intense, Bella felt like she would melt if she didn't break his gaze. Finally, she sank her fingers into his tousled hair, following the curve of his skull to the base of his head. He shuddered when she brushed against the soft, curly hair at the nape of his neck.

"Edward, please kiss me."

Keeping eye contact with her, Edward moved in slowly and placed his lips against hers. He felt her sigh against his lips and closed his eyes. Reaching up, he cupped her face softly. Bella kept very still and let him take the lead.

Edward pulled back slightly and kissed her bottom lip. Slowly, he slid his smooth lips back and forth over hers. Bella's hand grasped a handful of his hair as tiny spasms fluttered down her stomach. His thumb was tracing lightly under her chin as he moved her face slightly against his own.

Kissing her closed eyelids, Edward ran his tongue along the creases before kissing them again. It was a surprisingly sweet and erotic sensation. His lips slid down the bridge of Bella's nose before fastening to her lips again. This time he kissed along her top lip. Becoming bolder, he used his tongue to trace the curves of her mouth.

Bella moaned lightly and parted her lips. She wanted to taste him but resisted. It had been so long since she had been this close to him, she wanted to savor the experience. Edward slipped his tongue between her lips slightly and slid it across the sensitive flesh, not quite entering her mouth. A tremor ran down her body and she moved her closer to him.

When she was flush against his body, he moved his arm underneath her. He grasped her waist and rolled onto his back, bringing her with him so she lay on top of him. The hand cupping her face moved up to expose the smooth expanse of her neck. Edward brushed his lips from one side to the other, barely making contact.

"Oh, Edward," she moaned softly.

No longer able to resist, Bella moved her chin down and took his thumb into her mouth. Edward stopped what he was doing and hissed against her neck. He removed his slick thumb and ran it across her lips before pulling her face to his and kissing her passionately.

Bella could feel his hard body against hers, his erection pushing against her hip. This reminded her forcefully of the nights they had spent together before everything went to hell. She groaned and pushed her pelvis into his, seeking some sort of release.

Edward made a low noise in his throat. His hands left her face and went around her back. He traced her spinal column and followed the curves of her buttocks. Taking a thigh in each hand, he slowly spread Bella's legs until she was straddling him. Edward splayed his hands against her legs and ran them up and down from her hips to her knees.

In this new position, Bella was able to work up some friction and felt the heat between her legs intensifying. Edward sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Using his considerable upper body strength, he leaned her backward with one arm. Her breasts pushed up and out as she arched her back, her head flinging back in abandon. Edward drew a finger down between Bella's breasts, and she increased the tempo of her hips.

Leaning forward, Edward kissed the line he had just traced with his finger. He lifted her shirt so that he could place open-mouth kisses along her ribcage and stomach. The feel of her warm, fragrant skin against his mouth was heavenly. His fingers slipped under her shirt further and cupped one glorious breast. Bella gasped as he ran his fingers over her nipple. It felt so good; she never wanted him to stop touching her.

Edward wanted to caress her everywhere. He pulled Bella upright and reclined until his back was on the bed once more. As she sat above him, his hands roamed all over her body. Bella's breathing increased with the tempo of her hips. Her head lolled forward, her eyes closed. She made small, contented noises as she concentrated on the sensations emanating from her body.

Reaching between them Edward touched where they were joined. Bella's eyes flew open and locked with his as he began making small circular motions with his thumb against her.

"_Jesus Christ!_" Bella huffed out. Edward had never touched her like this, and before she knew what was happening, her world exploded in fiery sparks.

Edward sat up again, and held her as she shuddered against him. He kissed Bella's face until the spasms began to slow down and stop eventually. She leaned against him, completely giddy with satisfaction.

Feeling Edward's erection, hard and insistent underneath her, made her wonder if he would allow her to reciprocate. Before he could stop her, Bella snaked a hand down and grasped him through his pants. He became completely still in her arms.

"Bella," he said with a warning in his voice.

"Please, Edward. I just want to touch you."

Edward hadn't removed her hand, so Bella took that as a good sign and moved back from him so she had better access. His breathing increased rapidly against her neck, and she murmured to him softly. Being in a slightly awkward position, she was able to coax him to lie down on the bed lengthwise as she kneeled next to him.

With shaking fingers Bella unbuttoned Edward's shirt. He watched her with hooded eyes. Part of him was completely terrified, but he was so far gone, he pushed it away. He had to make sure not to grab at her, and balled his hands into fists above his head.

Bella soon became engrossed in the magnificent display in front of her. Before she could lose her nerve, she reached out towards the waist of his pants. Edward drew in a sharp breath as her fingers brushed the sensitive skin between his hips. She managed to undo his pants and slid them off. Edward was wearing a snug pair of boxer briefs, and she could see him straining against them. Reaching out hesitantly, Bella touched him through the fabric.

"Ahhh…" Edward breathed out.

Encouraged, Bella stroked him more firmly. She had never touched a man before and found the experience strange yet titillating. She hoped she was doing this right; judging by Edward's reactions she thought she was. Becoming bolder still, she decided she wanted to see him in the flesh..._literally._

Hooking her fingers into the waistband of his briefs she pulled them down over his hips. Bella was overwhelmed at the sight of him. She had wanted him like this so many times, and the whole thing seemed surreal. Like everything about Edward, he was simply perfect.

Bella realized Edward had stopped breathing, but she was unsure if it was due to the overwhelming scent of her blood or what she was doing to him. She hoped it was the latter. She looked up to see him watching her again. Maintaining eye contact, she reached out and engulfed him in her hand.

Edward hissed at the contact against his bare skin. The heat of her hand was incredible, and he had to stop himself from jerking his hips upwards. She was moving so languidly, it was a sweet torture. After a few tentative strokes, she tightened her grip and moved her hand faster along his length.

Eventually, Bella lay against his side. She placed her head in the crook of his arm while still touching him with her hand. Edward had his eyes tightly closed now, and he was panting.

"Does it feel good?" Bella asked him softly.

"Incredible," he managed to get out between clenched teeth.

"Tell me."

"It feels… warm… and smooth… and-- Oh _God!_" Edward started to make a growling noise deep in his chest. "Bella, oh my Bella…"

Edward continued to chant her name, and she knew he was close. Bella leaned in and began to kiss his neck as she increased the pressure of her strokes. He grabbed handfuls of his hair and started to grunt as he felt all his tension release. Edward trembled and shook as she finished him off.

Slowly, Edward turned to face Bella. She had a large smile on her face. His lips pulled up in her all time favorite crooked smile.

"Welcome home," she said tenderly as she pressed her lips to his.

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**Sorry I didn't warn about the lemon! I kind of didn't want to give anything away... hopefully no one was reading at work! heh... Reviews = LOVE! In the words of L.L. Cool J.... I NEED LOVE!!**


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Edward rushed across the threshold of the house on Isle Esme, with Bella in his arms. She squealed with delight at his speed and enthusiasm. He was peppering kisses all over her face and anywhere he could reach. Bella's hands were tangled in his hair, encouraging him.

Placing her on her feet in the foyer, he put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"Stay right here, Mrs. Cullen; don't move." He growled at her playfully, before dashing off towards the back of the house.

Bella laughed at his retreating figure, secretly thrilling to the use of her new name. She looked around her and then walked into the living room. She ran her hands over the soft brocade of the couch as she walked to the mantle over the fireplace. There were an assortment of things arrayed on top including pictures and knick-knacks.

Placing her fingers over one of the pictures of her and Edward, Bella smiled. This had been taken while at Dartmouth. She had decided to relish in her human life for a while longer and had never regretted it. She and Edward had needed time to mend their relationship, and she knew that rushing headlong into marriage would only be a band-aid solution.

How their relationship had suffered finally made her realize that their infatuation with one another was vulnerable, and they needed to take the time to strengthen their bond. The last few years were filled with awe, wonder, and discovery. She came into her own and was finally able to appreciate her self-worth.

Edward had also changed drastically. Now that all the danger was behind them, he was able to let go and become even more considerate of Bella and her needs. Of course, there was still the Volturi to contend with, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it. Bella and Edward had finally developed an equal partnership – in so much as a vampire and a human could be equal, that is.

Bella didn't hear Edward as he came up behind her. He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck softly. She leaned her head back against his chest and let out a small purr. Before either of them could get too carried away, Edward bent down, slipped his arm behind her legs and swung her up in his arms.

Kissing her deeply he walked into a beautiful, large, white bedroom. Lit candles and rose petals were strewn all over the room. Bella gasped in delight and then turned towards her husband. The intensity of his gaze took her breath away. She traced his face with her hands like so many times before, still taken aback by his beauty and the knowledge this magnificent creature belonged to her.

Edward lowered Bella to the bed and leaned over her, pressing his lips to hers. He was giddy with love for his wife and planned to show her just how much, for as long as she would allow him to.

Covering her body with his, Edward and Bella continued on their journey into happily ever after.


	25. Author's Note

**Author's Notes**

Well my lovelies, my story is complete! I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did :)) I want to thank all the reviewers, all your encouraging words completely thrilled me. I especially want to thank my multiple reviewers, you guys rock hard, so big squishy love to you!

I also want to give a shout out to McVampy, I was stuck on how to wrap everything up but reading her story Housemating Season gave me inspiration. You guys should check out her stuff if you love lemony angst.

More big love to my Beta TigerLilyCullen! She has been going over all my stuff with a fine tooth comb and I will be slowly replacing all my chapters with the edited versions eventually now that this story is over. She was the punctuation Nazi of my dreams.. hehe

I have some ideas for a couple more stories so hopefully you all will continue to read when I publish them! Don't forget to add me to your Author Alert so you can get the latest and greatest! ;))

Ciao,

Lalina

P.S. Feel free to pimp this story out to your friends!


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